Former Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela resigned from his position as Member of Gujarat’s Legislative Assembly, PTI reported on Wednesday. Vaghela had defied the party’s whip in the recently-held Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat and had voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

On July 21, Vaghela had claimed that the party had suspended him. He had said he quit all party posts, and as leader of Opposition in Gujarat, he would not join the BJP.

“My party has shown me the door,” Vaghela had said. “I will not retire from politics...I don’t care what loss I have to bear, I can not see injustice happening.”

The senior party leader had quit the party after reports emerged that he had demanded to be Congress’ chief ministerial face ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections. However, he was told that it would be unfair to select him over other Gujarat party leaders such as Shaktisinh Gohil and Bharatsinh Solanki.

He had claimed that Congress leadership, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, “lacked foresight”. “You are heading [towards] suicide. There is a big ditch ahead, if you want to fall, then go on. I will not stay on this path,” he had said.