Congress MLA Vallabh Dharaviya quits party, another MLA joins BJP

Ahmedabad, Mar 11: Ahead of the Congress Working Committee meeting in Ahmedabad, Jamnagar (Rural) MLA Vallabh Dharaviya quit the party and tendered his resignation from the Assembly to Speaker Rajendra Trivedi Monday afternoon. Dharaviya's is the third resignation of a Congress MLA in the past four days.

"Dharaviya has resigned as Jamnagar (Rural) MLA. He told me he is resigning voluntarily," Speaker Trivedi confirmed.

A little while before Dharaviya quit, his former party colleague Parsotam Sabariya, who had resigned as Dhrangadhra MLA on March 8, joined the ruling BJP in the presence of its senior leaders I K Jadeja and K C Patel. Sabariya was arrested in October last year in connection with an irrigation scam and was granted bail by the Gujarat High Court in February.

Gandhinagar: Congress MLA from Gujarat, Purushottam Sawariya who had resigned from the party last week, joins BJP. pic.twitter.com/4PaYB21hK9

— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2019

Sabariya said he was not under pressure to join the BJP and claimed he was making the switch to develop his constituency.

"I am joining the BJP to develop my constituency. I was not under any pressure and have resigned from the Congress voluntarily. As far as the FIR is concerned, the law will take its own course. The BJP has to do nothing about it. I am not joining BJP to get any post or for other benefits," he told reporters.