Dadra and Nagar Haveli Cong chief resigns ahead of LS polls

Former Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar of Congress, who had represented the seat six times in the past, Tuesday resigned from the party and announced to contest as an Independent candidate.

Delkar, who heads the Congress unit in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, said he took this decision after consulting his supporters and common people.

He had lost to BJP's Natubhai Patel in the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections on the party ticket.

He Monday announced to contest as an Independent candidate after seeking views of his supporters.

The BJP has renominated sitting MP Natubhai Patel from the Dadra and Nagar Haveli constituency, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidate. The Congress is yet to announce its nominee.

"I have decided to contest as an Independent, as the region is facing various issues pertaining to its development. I am doing this after taking into consideration the sentiments of people and my supporters here," Delkar told reporters in a press conference in Silvassa.

In his resignation letter addressed to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Delkar stated that he didn't harbour any ill-feeling towards the party high command.

Incidentally, BJP leader from Silvassa Ankita Patel had resigned from the party to protest against renomination of Natubhai Patel.

She is reportedly trying for a Congress ticket to fight the election against the BJP MP.

In January this year, Delkar set many tongues wagging when he shared dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public event in Silvassa.

During his previous stints as an MP, he had represented the constituency as an Independent and also from the Congress and the BJP.