AHMEDABAD: Just four hours after the Kadi and Visavadar by-election results were announced, Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil stepped down from his post.
In a swift transition, Danilimda MLA Shailesh Parmar has been given charge as the interim state president until a permanent successor is announced.
Citing moral responsibility, Gohil acknowledged the party's failure in the by-polls, despite what he called the unwavering efforts of Congress workers who have battled without power for 30 years. He confirmed that he has formally submitted his resignation to the national president.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Ahmedabad on Monday, Shaktisinh Gohil said, “Despite being out of power for 30 years, our workers have fought relentlessly. I accept moral responsibility for the poor results and have resigned. I have already sent my resignation to the national president.”
According to congress sources, Congress has sparked a political stir by sidelining Shaktisinh Gohil’s loyalists in the appointment of new city district presidents, instead handing over key positions to his rivals—even in his own home turf. This move put to rest the swirling rumours about his resignation, which gained traction yesterday amid speculation that Gohil was upset over his opponents being rewarded with top posts in his own district.
Brushing off speculation that his resignation was triggered by internal politics, Gohil clarified, “The appointment of district presidents was done after hearing every worker. AICC selected the best candidates based on consensus. These aren’t Gohil’s men or his rivals—these are party men. Even Bhavnagar’s names were finalized with worker agreement.”
In response to claims of being upset over his rivals being elevated in his home turf, Gohil countered, “Some people may feel hurt during decisions in a party or family. But the process was democratic. The performance of the new district presidents will be reviewed in three months. Feedback will be taken again. I congratulate both outgoing and new presidents.”
Firmly rejecting the idea that he had to be persuaded to stay, Gohil stated, “I didn’t wait to be convinced. I took responsibility and resigned. This is Congress tradition. I’m not quitting the battlefield—I will continue as a loyal soldier. The party turns workers into leaders, and I remain one of them. I’ve never done politics with double standards.”
He concluded with a tinge of disappointment, “It would’ve been good if we had won at least one of the two seats. But the fight must go on.”
Shaktisinh Gohil stepped down as Gujarat Congress president within just two years of taking charge. He had taken over the reins in June 2023, following the resignation of Jagdish Thakor, who quit after the party’s defeat in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Congress has remained out of power in Gujarat since 1995, facing defeat in every Assembly election held since then—1995, 1998, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2022. The setbacks didn’t stop there. In both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party failed to win a single one of the state’s 26 parliamentary seats. While the 2024 Lok Sabha elections finally saw the Congress contest one seat under the INDIA alliance, its decades-long struggle to regain ground in Gujarat continues.