Gandhinagar: A former two-time MLA from the Rajpipla seat in Narmada district, Harshad Vasava, rejoined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday in the state capital.

Vasava accepted the saffron scarf from state party president CR Paatil at the state BJP headquarters, Shri Kamalam, in Gandhinagar, citing the resolution of “local differences” as the reason for his return and expressed his intention to focus on winning the four tribal Lok Sabha seats for the party. Bharuch PM Mansukh Vasava accompanied Harshad during his return to the saffron party.

Harshad Vasava previously served as a two-term MLA from the then-Rajpipla Assembly seat in Narmada in 2002 and 2007. The constituency was later dissolved, leading to the creation of the Nandod Assembly constituency. In November 2022, Harshad filed an independent nomination from Nandod after a disagreement with the BJP over a denied ticket. Although his rebellion affected the vote share, it did not prevent BJP’s Darshana Deshmukh from winning the constituency. Harshad, who secured the third spot, expressed his commitment to contributing to the BJP’s success in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The return of Harshad Vasava also marked the rejoining of other rebel BJP leaders from Narmada and Bharuch districts. Notable figures included former Narmada district president Ghanshyam Desai, Bharuch District Bank director and former Nandod APMC chairman Sunil Patel, former Rajpipla Municipality president Bharti Tadvi, former Taluka Panchayat members Jayanti Tadvi, Kiran Vasava, Kanchan Tadvi, as well as leaders from Patan district. DeshGujarat