The Gujarat Congress woke up to an unlucky Friday after its two MLAs — Javahar Chavda from Manavadar and Parshottam Sabariya from Dhrangadhra — sent their resignations to the Speaker. Chavda joined the BJP in the evening in presence of party leaders at Shri Kamalam headquarters in Gandhinagar. Speculations are rife that Chadva could get be appointed as a minister in Vijay Rupani's cabinet soon.
All the drama unfolded amidst the buzz that Radhanpur MLA and Thakor Sena leader Alpesh Patel, along with three mates, was about to quit the Congress. Chavda said he sent his resignation to Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
"I had been with Congress for three decades. One would be fade up with having food from the same hotel for a very long time and would want a change of taste. I have no grudge with anyone in Congress. I have no liability with Congress and have joined BJP to strengthen the force of PM Narendra Modi," Chavda said after joining the BJP.
This was a clear indication that Chavda gave of being unhappy to work with the opposition and would like to be with the party in power.
However, the minister of state for home Pradipsinh Jadeja who also was present in the press conference defended Chavda on his statement and said that one should not go by the words.
Chavda is the son of Gujarat's former minister Pethalji Chavda, who was a popular leader of one time in entire Junagadh district across all the communities. Pethalji set up many educational institutions in his times when was the minister in Junagadh district that brought the revolution in the district.
Four times MLA Javahar Chavda was earlier elected from Manavadar during the assembly polls held in 1990, 2007, 2012 and recently in 2017 elections. Chavda defeated former minister and close confidant of former CM Keshubhai Patel, Ratibhai Sureja in 1990, 2007 and 2012.
Speaker of Gujarat assembly Rajendra Trivedi said, "Chavda came to my house in the afternoon and handed over his handwritten resignation to me. He, however, did not mention the reason for resignation in the letter. I have forwarded the same to the secretary of assembly for due procedure required. His resignation is accepted."
Looking at the Lok Sabha polls and political equations, Junagadh was believed to be a weak seat for BJP as only one party candidate could win in last assembly polls out of nine assembly seats in Junagadh and Gir Somnath districts. The BJP had categorised Junagadh Lok Sabha seat into weak seats for Lok Sabha polls, but after Javahar's induction in BJP, he could woo the voters especially from Ahir(nomadic) community that he belongs to. Ahir community has also good dominance over Kutch, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar seats beside Junagadh.
Dhrangadhra MLA Parsotam Sabariya quit the party late in the day. Sabariya was arrested in October last year for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe from persons accused in an irrigation scam in Morbi district. Sabariya had allegedly accepted money through a middleman from some accused in the irrigation scam in return for not raising the issue in the Assembly.
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