As many as two sitting MLAs of the Congress on Monday resigned from the Gujarat Assembly to join BJP in order to extend support to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as next prime minister of the country.
Abdasa MLA Chhabil Patel and tribal leader Prabhu Vasava from Mandvi (ST) seat today submitted their respective resignation to the Assembly Speaker Vaju Vala. With this as many as five sitting MLAs have quit Congress party to join BJP.
Except for Vasava, others who have quit are former BJP members who had quite the party when Shankarsinh Vagehla had formed his own party Rashtriya Janata Party in the late 1990s.
Vasava will be the first tribal leader from Congress to join BJP. With this total strength of Congress in the state assembly came down to 51.