Gandhinagar, Jun 23 (IANS): Former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela on Monday quit the Nationalist Congress Party in protest over the recent change in its state leadership and other political developments.

Vaghela, fondly known as Bapu by his supporters, on Monday tendered his resignation from the post of NCP national General Secretary as well as from its primary membership to NCP President Sharad Pawar.

In his letter to Pawar, Vaghela stressed his displeasure of his removal from the post of state President and offering it to Jayant Patel (Boski), a former NCP legislator. He also expressed his displeasure against the lone NCP legislator in Gujarat, Kandhal Jadeja, who voted in favour of BJP candidate, Narhari Amin, going against the party whip of voting in Congress's favour in the Rajya Sabha elections held on Friday.

"On the day of the change in the presidentship in the state NCP and due to the recent political developments, despair has spread among the entire party workers, leaders and taluka, district and state functionaries. In view of the aforesaid reasons, I express my resignation along with resignations of other functionaries," said Vaghela in his letter.

Meanwhile, the NCP on Monday issued notice to Jadeja for not following the party whip to vote for the Congress candidate.

Vaghela, a former BJP member, had quit the saffron party in 1996, to form his own Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP) to form government in Gujarat with the Congress's support.

Hi later merged his party with the Congress. In 2017, prior to the Rajya Sabha elections, he quit the Congress and formed his own party. He had joined the NCP in 2019.