Expelled Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela resigned from the State Assembly on Wednesday.
He submitted his resignation to the speaker at his chamber. He was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, his deputy Nitin Patel and other Ministers.
Mr. Vaghela was earlier Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. He resigned from that position last month after the Congress refused to yield to his demand to make him the chief ministerial candidate ahead of the State assembly polls.
He and seven other legislators, including his son Mahendrasinh Vaghela, were expelled by the Congress after they cross voted in the recently held Rajya Sabha election. Among the contestants was Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel, who was seeking a fifth term.
“I have been considering resigning from the House for some time now. I consulted people from my constituency Kapadvanj and then decided to submit the papers. I will not join any party, but I will remain active in politics,” he told the media after handing over the resignation letter to Speaker Ramanlal Vora.
His son Mahendrasinh and other MLAs are set to join the BJP in the coming days.
Asked why he had chosen to accompany Mr. Vaghela, Chief Minister Rupani said he was one of the senior most members of the Assembly. He, Mr. Patel and other Ministers had joined him as a mark of respect.