Gujarat Congress spokesperson Rekhaben Chaudhary quits party with weeks left for polls

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Congress spokesperson Rekhaben Chaudhary on Sunday quit her primary membership of the party, giving up all party posts.

Chaudhary's move comes just weeks ahead of the first phase of polling in the Gujarat Assembly election.

The reason behind Chaudhary's resignation is not clear. Media reports suggest she is unhappy with ticket distribution.

The Congress is not the only party suffering from last minute resignations of notable leaders. The BJP has suffered too. Last week, BJP leader and former MP Kanjibhai Patel resigned from the party along with his son, Sunil Patel.

Miffed over the ticket distribution, the father-son duo took the unexpected step on the last day of nomination for the first phase of elections.

Both parties continue to announce their list of candidates. The Congress has announced its nominees for 166 of the 182 seats. The BJP, on the other hand, has announced nominees for 148 seats.
 
The Congress is locked in a bitter battle with the BJP. The Grand Old Party will be looking to improve on past performances and increase its share of both votes and seats ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s ascension as party president. For the BJP, the election seems to be turning into a prestige battle, with the retention of the party base the prime concern.

Polling in Gujarat will take place in two phases – for 89 seats on December 9, and 93 seats on December 14. Counting of votes will be held on December 18, along with the process for Himachal Pradesh, which voted on November 9.