Senior Gujarat Congress leader Jawahar Chavda resigns as MLA, joins BJP

AHMEDABAD: Hours after resigning as a Congress MLA in Gujarat, senior leader Jawahar Chavda Friday joined the ruling BJP at the party's headquarters in Gandhinagar.

Chavda, 55, was inducted into BJP by state Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja and senior party leader K C Patel.

The four-time MLA from Manavadar seat in Junagadh district tendered his resignation as a legislator to the Gujarat Assembly speaker Rajendra Trivedi earlier in the day.

After joining the ruling party, Chavda said he did not quit the Congress due to discontent or differences with the party leadership.

Chavda, a prominent OBC leader from Ahir community, said he also resigned from the primary membership of the Congress and sent a letter to party president Rahul Gandhi to inform him about it.

Talking to reporters, Chavda claimed that the BJP has not offered ministership to switch sides ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

"It is not true that I am joining the BJP to become a minister. I am in politics to serve the people. I am joining the BJP as I felt that I can serve the people in a better way if I join the party that is in power.

"I also felt it necessary to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the current security scenario of the country," Chavda said.

Chavda had won the Manavadar seat in 1990, 2007, 2012 and 2017.

Though speculations are rife that he would be made a minister in the coming days, both Chavda and Jadeja dismissed the reports.

"The party will decide whether to give me a cabinet berth or not. Otherwise, I do not have such aspirations. I left the Congress because I was not enjoying there. I was feeling suffocated for quite some time," he added.

According to Jadeja, Chavda joining the BJP will strengthen the party in Saurashtra region.

"As of now, he has joined the BJP only as a member. Chavda has not demanded anything for joining the BJP. The party leadership has not decided anything about giving him any cabinet berth as of now. I cannot comment about the cabinet expansion at this moment," Jadeja said.

Chavda is the third Congress MLA to have resigned from the House in the past few months.

In July last year, senior Congress MLA Kunvarji Bavalia had resigned as the legislator.

He was later made a cabinet minister in the current BJP dispensation.

Last month, first-time MLA from Unjha seat in Mehsana, Asha Patel, had resigned from the House and the Congress, and later joined the ruling BJP.