Former Agriculture Minister, Navin Chanderpal, has resigned his position as a People’s Progressive Party (PPP)/Civic Member of Parliament effective July 1.

Stabroek News understands that Director of Sports in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Neil Kumar, has been identified as the person to replace Chanderpal in the National Assembly.

Chanderpal last month resigned from his position as Agriculture Minister and resumed his post as advisor to the President on sustainable development. His resignation was said to have been tendered because of frustrations over the management of his ministry. He has not spoken publicly on the reason for his resignation. Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs has confirmed that a letter of resignation was received from Chanderpal.

Reports say Chanderpal has not resigned any of the positions he holds in the PPP/C including as a member of the executive council or the central committee. Chanderpal was one of the highest vote getters in the election to the central committee at the last PPP/C congress at Rose Hall, Berbice.

He was appointed a minister after the 2001 general elections. His stint in the National Assembly has also been short beginning in May 1998.

The National Assembly will be required to write to the PPP/C notifying it of a vacancy on its benches and asking it to extract another name from its list with the Elections Commission for swearing in as the new member of parliament. Kumar, who has been tipped, serves currently as a Region Four councillor.