Madhya Pradesh Political Turmoil: Kamal Nath Government to Lose Majority as 22 Congress MLAs Resign From Assembly Following Jyotiraditya Scindia's Exit
The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, headed by Chief Minister Kamal Nath, appeared to have slipped into minority on Tuesday after 22 party legislators resigned from the state assembly.
Bhopal, March 10: The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, headed by Chief Minister Kamal Nath, appeared to have lost majority in the House on Tuesday after 22 party legislators resigned from the state assembly, latest being Adal Singh Kansana and Manoj Choudhary. Of these MLAs, believed to be loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia, 19 were whisked away to a resort in Bengaluru on Monday evening. The exit of Congress MLAs started with the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the primary membership of the party. Jyotiraditya Scindia's Son Mahanaryaman Scindia Tweets 'Proud of My Father' After His Resignation from Congress.
The actual strength of the Madhya Pradesh assembly is 230. With two seats vacant, the effective strength is 228. However, following resignations of the 22 MLAs, the strength of the assembly will be 206 and a party will be needing 104 votes to prove majority on floor of the House. The Congress had 114 MLAs and support from two legislators of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), one of the Samajwadi Party and four Independents. Madhya Pradesh Political Turmoil: Prashant Kishor Takes Jibe At Jyotiraditya Scindia Over 'Surname' After His Resignation From Congress.
The resignations by 22 Congress MLAs bring down the party's tally in the assembly to 92. Assuming that BSP, SP and Independents continue to support the Kamal Nath government, the tally of the Congress and its allies will be maximum 99 MLAs, still five short of the halfway mark. The BJP has 107 MLAs in the assembly and can easily form the government. It is a matter of time before the Kamal Nath-led Congress gets the marching orders.
The odds that were stacked against the BJP till a week ago now overwhelmingly are in its favour. According to reports, Scindia along with 22 leaders who resigned will join the BJP. Earlier in the day, Scindia quit the Congress and released resignation letter on Twitter. Moments later, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said, in a statement, that Scindia was expelled for "anti-party" activities.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2020 06:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).