NAFED Chairman Jethabhai Bharwad has resigned from his post as Deputy Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, citing his increased workload and responsibilities in the cooperative sector at the national level.
Bharwad, also known as Jethabhai Ahir, submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary at the latter’s official residence in Gandhinagar on Thursday. His resignation has been accepted, and a new Deputy Speaker is expected to be appointed soon.
The 75-year-old, a senior BJP leader and six-time MLA from the Shehra constituency in Panchmahal district, chose to step down from the constitutional post to focus more on his expanding commitments in cooperative institutions, including his role as Chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, BJP state president Jagdish Vishwakarma, and BJP organisation general secretary Ratnakar were present when he tendered his resignation.