Trouble for Congress in Gujarat as two more MLAs resign, 6 others to follow

They might join the BJP by the evening

Even as two more Gujarat Congress MLAs quit the party on Friday, another senior legislator Raghavji Patel said he was also preparing to follow suit along with five others.

A day after three legislators resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chhanabhai Chaudhary, an MLA from the Vansda constituency, and Mansinh Chauhan from Balasinor submitted their resignations to Speaker Ramanlal Vora.

They were yet to join the BJP but sources they might do so by evening.

Raghavji Patel, a legislator from Jamnagar (rural) constituency in Saurashtra, said: "I also want to go to the BJP and there are five others who are also preparing for it.

"We are frustrated. Nobody listened to our voice and took note of our aspirations," said the veteran leader.

Patel, Chaudhary and Chauhan are all believed to be close to rebel leader and former Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela, who quit as Leader of Opposition on July 21, alleging that there was an intra-party conspiracy to oust him from the Congress.

Balwantsinh Rajput, MLA from Siddhpur, Tejashree Patel from Viramgam and Vijapur legislator P.I. Patel submitted their resignations on Thursday afternoon and joined the BJP.

Within minutes of joining the BJP, Rajput was named the party's third Rajya Sabha candidate, besides national President Amit Shah and Union Minister Smriti Irani.

Shah, Irani and Rajput filed nominations for the August 8 Rajya Sabha elections on Friday.

For the Congress, party chief Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel on Wednesday filed papers seeking a fifth term in the Upper House from Gujarat.