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GANDHINAGAR — In twin blows to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, its senior leader from Gujarat, Arjun Modhwadia, quit the grand old party on Monday, and also resigned from his position of Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA).
Modhwadia, a senior leader from the Mer community of coastal Saurashtra, is a former Leader of the Opposition and ex-Gujarat unit Congress president. He submitted his resignation to Gujarat Assembly Speaker, Shankarbhai Chaudhary.
According to sources, Modhwadia is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Meanwhile, Ambarish Der, Working President of the Gujarat Congress and a former MLA from Rajula assembly constituency, also resigned from the party on Monday.
Modhwadia's resignation comes on the heels of public disagreements he had with the Congress' central leadership, particularly concerning the party's decision to decline the invitation to attend Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in January.
Modhwadia's departure is seen as one of the most substantial losses for the Congress in Gujarat.
He was considered a close aide to late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, and a key figure in the state's political landscape.
Meanwhile, another Congress leader, Ambarish Der, who quit the party, expressed his dissatisfaction with the party leadership's choices. He said the Congress should operate more like a political entity rather than an NGO.
He is a prominent figure in the Ahir community.
Der has announced his plans to rejoin the BJP in a ceremony scheduled for March 5 in Gujarat BJP headquarters -- Shree Kamalam, in Gandhinagar. Additionally, a public function is set to be held in the Rajula Assembly constituency to mark his induction back to the BJP.
He also said that he would be returning to the BJP without any pre-conditions.