Another Congress MLA quits to join BJP ahead of Guj assembly polls; second in two days

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In another jolt to the opposition Congress on the second day in a row ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls, senior MLA Bhagwan Barad on Wednesday resigned as a legislator and primary member and is set to join BJP.

Barad, who represents the Talala seat in Gir Somnath district, sent his resignation letter to Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor and also handed it over to Speaker Nimaben Acharya.

Barad told reporters in Gandhinagar that he decided to quit the party after consulting his supporters and will join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) without any pre-condition to get a poll ticket.

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A day earlier, veteran Congress MLA and tribal leader Mohansinh Rathva resigned as a legislator and party member and crossed over to BJP.

A prominent tribal leader, Rathva is a ten-time Member of the Legislative Assembly and currently represents the Chhota Udaipur (ST) constituency in central Gujarat.

Rathva had announced that he would not seek a ticket for the next month's Assembly elections but wanted the party to field his son Rajendrasinh Rathva from his seat instead.

Gujarat will vote in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.

In the 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls, the Congress had won 77 seats restricting BJP's tally at 99 in the 182-member House.

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