BJP MP resigns from Gujarat Assembly

Ketan Inamdar represents Saveli constituency in Vadodara district

Vadodara:

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ketan Inamdar tendered his resignation from the state Assembly on Tuesday, saying he listened to his “inner voice” and nothing is more important than self-respect.

Inandhar also said that his move was not a pressure tactic and that he would work to ensure that BJP candidate Ranjan Bhatt wins the Vadodara seat in the upcoming assembly elections.

The three-time MLA from Saveli seat in Vadodara district submitted his resignation to Legislative Assembly Speaker Shankar Chowdhury.

Inandal said in the letter that he decided to resign after listening to his “inner voice.”

Previously, he announced his resignation as a member of Parliament in January 2020, but it was not accepted by the Speaker.

Speaking to reporters after handing in his resignation on Tuesday, Inandal said it was not a pressure tactic.

“For a long time, I felt that small and old workers (who have been associated with the party for a long time) were not taken care of by the party. I have informed the leadership about this,” the BJP leader said.

Inandhar said he has represented the Saveli seat for more than 11 years and has been associated with the BJP ever since he became an active member of the party.

“But like I said in 2020, nothing is more important than self-respect. This is not just the voice of Ketan Inandal, but the voice of every party member. I have said before, Old party members should not be ignored,” he said.

“I will work day and night to ensure that our Lok Sabha poll candidate Ranjan Bhatt wins with maximum margin. But this resignation is the result of my inner voice,” he added.

Many MLAs in the saffron party share his “frustration” after Inandhar resigned in 2020 after he claimed senior government officials and ministers had ignored him and his constituency.

He won the 2012 parliamentary elections for the first time as an independent candidate. He later joined the BJP and won twice in 2017 and 2022 polls.

The BJP currently holds 156 seats out of the total 182 seats in the Gujarat Assembly.

Polling for all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will be held in a phased manner on May 7 and counting of votes will take place on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)