AHMEDABAD: In a jolt to the Congress in Gujarat, its senior member and MLA from the Vijapur constituency, C J Chavda resigned on Friday.

The move is seen as a prelude to Chavda's anticipated shift to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

His resignation was formally submitted to Shankar Chaudhary, the Speaker of the Gujarat State Assembly, at the latter's official residence in Gandhinagar.

This departure marks a notable reduction in the Congress's representation in the Gujarat Assembly, which now stands at 15 in the 182-seat legislature.

Chavda's exit follows a similar move by Chirag Patel, the former Congress MLA from Khambhat, who also resigned and is rumoured to join the BJP soon.

Chavda, who has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly twice, is a seasoned figure in the Congress party. He previously held the role of chief whip in the Assembly, representing the Gandhinagar North constituency. In the 2022 elections, he shifted his political battleground to Vijapur, located in Mehsana district.