Senior politician and former Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela resigned as MLA from Gujarat assembly on Wednesday.
He submitted his resignation to Speaker Ramanlal Vohra in the presence of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.
Unhappy with the style of functioning of the Congress, Vaghela had quit the party ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections and had note voted for Congress nominee Ahmed Patel, who eventually won the poll.
Vaghela's distant relative Balwantsinh Rajput had also resigned from the party and he was fielded by the BJP as its candidate for the RS polls. While Amit Shah and Smriti Irani won from the BJP, Rajput lost.
After his resignation, Vaghela said he would not join any party but would be active in politics, adding that he would work for the growth, development and progress of the people of Gujarat.
Seven MLAs close to Vaghela had also voted in favour of the BJP. However, votes of two of them were canceled by the Election Commission on technical grounds. In addition, JD (U)'s Chhotu Vasava voted in favour of Patel, enabling his victory.
These seven MLAs are all set to join the BJP, according to Mahendrasinh Vaghela, Shankersinh's son. Mahendrasinh and six others, who voted for the BJP, have been expelled by the Congress.
Now, with Vaghela's resignation, all eyes will be on him to see what role he plays in the assembly elections due later this year. It also remains to be seen whether he contests elections or not and whether he acts as a mediator between the Congress and the NCP for seat sharing.
Vaghela had joined the Congress 20 years ago after he rebelled against the BJP. He and prime minister Narendra Modi had played a pivotal role in establishing the RSS and BJP in Gujarat.
Rupani said they remained present when Vaghela resigned as an MLA as the latter was a senior politician.
