Gujarat Congress leader Kunwarji Bavaliya quits party, likely to join BJP

Ahmedabad, July 3

Senior Congress OBC leader and four-time MLA Kunwarji Bavaliya on Tuesday resigned from the party and is set to join the ruling BJP in Gujarat, sources said.

Bavaliya drove to the Gujarat BJP headquarters here after resigning from the party and as the legislator from Jasdan seat.

He has submitted his resignation as MLA to Gujarat Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi.

The move by Bavaliya, a prominent Koli community leader, is being seen as a blow to the Congress in Gujarat ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha.

In an email to Congress president Rahul Gandhi to inform him about his resignation, Bavaliya expressed displeasure over the party's functioning in Gujarat, Congress sources said.

State BJP spokesman Bharat Pandya said Bavaliya will be inducted into the BJP by the party's Gujarat unit chief Jitu Vaghani, Rahul Gandhi had last month called Bavaliya to Delhi with regard to his grievances. PTI