Congress MLAs Alpesh Thakor, Dhavalsinh Zala resign from Gujarat Assembly

Gandhinagar: Congress MLAs from Gujarat Alpesh Thakor and Dhavalsinh Zala resigned from the state assembly on Friday after casting their votes in the bypoll held for two vacant Rajya Sabha seats.

Thakor and Zala handed over their resignations to Gujarat Legislative Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi.

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According to reports, both the leaders allegedly cross-voted in the bypoll which was held as the two Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant after BJP leaders Amit Shah and Smriti Irani resigned on getting elected to Lok Sabha.

Thakor, an MLA from Radhanpur constituency in north Gujarat, said that he took the decision to resign as he was being 'insulted' and 'harassed' by the party.

"We were always deceived after joining the Congress party. We had told the senior party leaders that honest leaders are oppressed. I had decided to join the party putting our faith in Rahul Gandhi but unfortunately, he could not do anything. We were insulted again and again," news agency ANI quoted Alpesh as saying.

Hinting at cross-voting, Alpesh said that he has voted for the "honest national leadership that wants to take the country to new heights."

The Congress has demanded cancellation of Thakor and Zala's election. 

In April, Thakor had resigned from all positions within the Congress. However, he had not resigned from the membership of the state assembly.

Last month, the Congress had approached the Gujarat High Court seeking direction to the Assembly Speaker for disqualifying Thakor after he resigned from the party’s membership.