He said he was unhappy with the functioning of the party

He said he was unhappy with the functioning of the party

He said he was unhappy with the functioning of the party

Congress leader Indranil Rajguru, who took on Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani from Rajkot (West) in the 2017 assembly elections, resigned from the party on Monday.

Announcing his decision to quit, Rajguru said he was unhappy with the functioning of the party in Gujarat. “Congress is not willing to change its style of functioning and believes that certain things will be done in certain ways.”

“In the past, my friend Shaktisinh Gohil (AICC spokesperson) had stopped me from resigning. This time around, I have not even told him,” Rajguru said, adding that he is tired, but will continue to work for the welfare of the society.

He said he sent the message of resignation to the state party leadership, but hasn't received a response yet. He further claimed that several leaders are unhappy with the party.

The news of Rajguru's resignation came even as a few changes have been effected in the party's organisational structure in the state. Several city and district presidents have been changed—a move that was long overdue.

Rajguru clarified that he won't be joining the BJP.

The former Congress leader was silent on whether he would reconsider his decision to quit the party if changes are effected the way he wanted.

Congress party sources said it is still not clear whether to take Rajguru on the face value.

Rajguru's resignation is indeed a setback for the party as he had played a crucial role in keeping the MLAs together when the BJP had tried to “threaten” Congress MLAs ahead of Rajya Sabha election a year ago. The MLAs were taken to a resort in Karnataka and were brought back a day before the election in which Ahmed Patel managed to secure another term.

One of the richest candidates to contest in the 2017 elections, Rajguru, who is into real estate, owns a resort in Rajkot.