With the countdown to the highly anticipated Lok Sabha elections underway, Gujarat finds itself amidst a flurry of legislative resignations. Following suit after members from Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Dharmendrasinh Vaghela, an Independent representative in the Gujarat legislative assembly, has also made known his decision to step down, signaling his imminent return to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alongside his supporters.
Vaghela, who previously held sway over the Vaghodia assembly constituency in Vadodara district, formally tendered his resignation to assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary in Gandhinagar on Thursday.
Explaining his rationale behind this move, Vaghela articulated his desire to bolster the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in ushering in a vision of 'Ram Rajya' across the nation. "This decision stems from extensive consultations with my constituents. My resignation is a gesture of unwavering support to PM Modi and Amit Shah in their pursuit of establishing Ram Rajya in our country. Neither have I received any assurances from the party regarding ministerial positions in the Gujarat government or renomination nor have I made any demands," he asserted during an interaction with the press.
Vaghela, who previously held allegiance to the BJP, opted to contest the 2017 elections as an Independent following the denial of a party ticket. Despite facing defeat, he swiftly realigned himself with the BJP thereafter. Similarly, in 2022, when faced with a similar predicament, Vaghela chose to contest as an Independent once more, emerging victorious against the six-term MLA, Madhu Srivastava.
Despite his resignation as an independent MLA, conjecture abounds regarding Vaghela's potential candidacy in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, particularly for the same assembly constituency. However, Vaghela has yet to publicly clarify his stance on this matter.
Hailing from the Kshatriya community, Vaghela becomes the third MLA in Gujarat to tender his resignation from the state assembly within two months.
AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani, representing the Visavadar seat, resigned from his position in December 2023, while Congress MLA CJ Chavda recently stepped down as the MLA of the Vijapur seat.
In the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, BJP's unexpected triumph saw them clinch 156 seats, while AAP and Congress secured five and 17 seats, respectively. Additionally, three Independent candidates, spurred by the absence of BJP tickets, emerged victorious.
With Vaghela's resignation, the current assembly makeup comprises 156 BJP MLAs, 15 Congress MLAs, four AAP MLAs, and two independent MLAs. With by-elections looming for the vacant seats, the BJP remains sanguine about securing victories in all four constituencies, conveniently coinciding with the Lok Sabha elections.
Furthermore, there is widespread speculation that more Congress MLAs may follow suit and defect to the BJP in the ensuing days, adding further intrigue to the state's political landscape.
