Gandhinagar,  Two-time Congress Gujarat MLA, Harshad Ribadiya, who is tipped to join the ruling BJP soon, submitted his resignation to Assembly speaker Nima Acharya on Tuesday evening.

According to sources, the Ribadiya, MLA from Visavadar constituency, is likely to be fielded in the coming elections on the BJP symbol.

Since last few months, there is talk within political circles that six Congress MLAs will quit the party before assembly elections notification is issued and Ribadiya's resignation.

Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathwa was surprised with the news. "I have no idea why he has resigned, he had no issues about renomination... yet why he has resigned, I fail to understand," he said.

Ribadiya contested the Assembly elections on a Congress symbol in 2007 but lost, and was elected to the Assembly for the first time in the 2014 by-elections and re-elected in the 2017 polls.