Hours after Gujarat BJP lawmaker resigns, he says he is considering withdrawing his resignation

Mr. Inandhar said he discussed all issues with the BJP president

Vadodara:

Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ketan Inamdar tendered his resignation to the state Assembly on Tuesday morning, but announced hours later that he was considering withdrawing it after meeting senior state party leaders in Gandhinagar .

Inam Dar, a three-time MP from Saveli in Vadodara district, tendered his resignation to Speaker Shankar Chaudhry via email in the early hours and said he did so after listening to his “inner voice” , nothing is more important than self. respect.

The legislator, who was reelected for a third term in December 2022, said in an interview with reporters in his constituency later in the day that ordinary and older workers were not taken care of by the ruling party.

The MLA maintained that his move was not a pressure tactic and insisted that he would work to ensure victory for BJP candidate Ranjan Bhatt in the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat, which will be contested Voting takes place on May 7th.

Later, he rushed to the state capital Gandhinagar to meet with Gujarat BJP Chairman CR Paatil and Minister-in-charge of Vadodara Harsh Sanghavi.

Following the meeting, Mr Inandale told media persons in the evening that he had discussed certain issues with the state party leadership and believed they would be resolved, adding that he was considering withdrawing his resignation.

“My decision to resign is out of respect for my inner voice. As a party member, I am satisfied after discussing the matter with the national president and responsible ministers and am considering withdrawing my resignation,” the MP said.

In his resignation letter emailed to the Speaker, the veteran lawmaker said he told the Speaker he would resign as a lawmaker after listening to his “inner voice.” “I am very clear about my decision to resign. When the state BJP leadership came to know about my resignation, they asked me what I meant by ‘my inner voice’,” he told mediapersons in Gandhinagar.

Inandhar said he discussed all issues with BJP chief Patil and Vadodara-in-charge Minister Sangavi, but did not elaborate.

“Ratnakar Ji (General Secretary of the Gujarat BJP Organization) also responded positively and assured me that all my issues will be resolved to my satisfaction and that of all party members. We will sit down and resolve all problem,” the MLA said.

Mr. Inandhar had said in January 2020, when he too resigned from the Assembly, that the issues raised by him had been addressed by the BJP government and the party. In 2020, his resignation was not accepted by the then Speaker.

“This time, too, I believe the government and organizations will resolve all issues to my satisfaction,” he added.

Speaking to reporters in Saveli after submitting his resignation, Inandal clarified that his decision 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 PPP leader said.

Inandhar said he has represented Saveli seat in the Assembly for more than 11 years and has been a loyal BJP worker ever since he joined the saffron party.

“But as 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.

The BJP MP said earlier in the day: “I will work day and night to ensure that our Lok Sabha poll candidate Ranjan Bhatt (from Vadodara) wins with maximum margin. But this resignation is my The result of the inner voice.”

After Mr Inandhar resigned from parliament in 2020, he claimed that he and his constituency (Saveli) were ignored by senior government officials and ministers, and that many MPs in the saffron party shared his “frustration”.

He was first elected to parliament in 2012 after winning as an independent candidate from Saveli. Inandhar later joined the BJP and won the seat in 2017 and again in the 2022 polls.

In December 2022, the BJP won a huge mandate, winning 156 of the total 182 parliamentary seats in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat.

Polling for all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will be held in phases on May 7 and counting of votes will take place on June 4. In 2019, the BJP won all 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

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