The Congress on Tuesday said Shankersinh Vaghela resigned from the party as it did not meet his demand to project him as chief ministerial candidate in the coming 2017 assembly elections and that he resigned under pressure from the CBI and the ED. Emerging from the party’s state Executive Committee meeting, Gehlot indicated the party was also likely to review its earlier decision of fielding all sitting 57 legislators in the assembly polls, leaving some Vaghela supporters out. The Congress candidate needs 46 first preference votes, which Patel would have normally got given that the party has 57 legislators. The rebel leader resigned as Leader of Opposition but said he would put in his papers as an MLA after the Rajya Sabha elections. Meanwhile, tribal leader Mohansinh Rathwa from central Gujarat has been unanimously elected Leader of Opposition in place of Vaghela.

Source: Hindustan Times July 25, 2017 18:11 UTC