Day after quitting Congress, Arjun Modhwadia, another ex-functionary Der join BJP
Gandhinagar, Former Gujarat Congress chief and ex-MLA Arjun Modhwadia along with the party's former working president Ambarish Der joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, a day after they quit the grand old party. The two leaders joined the saffron party at its state headquarters 'Kamalam' here along with several others.
State BJP chief C R Paatil inducted them into the party by offering them saffron caps and scarves. The two leaders resigned on Monday expressing anguish over the party's decision to «boycott» Lord Ram temple consecration ceremony held in Ayodhya in January.
Interestingly, both leaders announced their decision to quit the Congress just three days ahead of the scheduled entry of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Gujarat. Days before Der and Modhwadia quit Congress, the party's Rajya Sabha member and former Union minister Naran Rathwa joined the ruling BJP along with his son and a large number of supporters.
Modhwadia, who represented the Porbandar seat, submitted his resignation as an MLA to Gujarat assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary in Gandhinagar on Monday evening. The speaker's office confirmed that the resignation has been accepted. One of the senior-most and most influential opposition leaders in Gujarat, Modhwadia, 67, was associated with the Congress for nearly 40 years.
He had also served as the leader of the opposition and as the state unit president. He defeated BJP heavyweight Babu Bokhiria in the 2022 assembly elections. With Modhwadia's resignation, the
