Chirag Patel, a Gujarat Congress MLA from the Khambhat Assembly constituency in Anand district, submitted his resignation from the state Assembly to Speaker Shankar Chaudhary on Tuesday (19 December). This resignation has decreased the total count of Congress seats in the Assembly from 17 to 16.

Patel, accompanied by BJP Gujarat Vice-President Bharat Boghara, met Chaudhary in his official chamber on Tuesday, leading to rumors that Patel might soon join the BJP. However, Patel did not confirm whether he had resigned.

Previously an active member of the BJP and the Yuva Morcha, Patel had switched his allegiance to the Congress before the 2022 Assembly elections due to not being granted a ticket.

He secured a victory in the Khambhat Assembly constituency with a lead of 3,711 seats in the December 2022 elections – marking the first triumph for the Congress in this seat since 1990.

Patel had overcome the incumbent BJP MLA Mahesh Raval, who had been embroiled in a purported sextortion scandal during his term as an MLA.

Before his encounter with Chaudhary, Patel avoided inquiries regarding his resignation. He stated, “Every Tuesday is a day dedicated for MLAs to present their constituency’s concerns to the relevant departments, which is why I am here at the Sachivalaya today.”

Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA, Bhupendra Bhayani had resigned and his return to the BJP was also anticipated.