Another Congress MLA resigns in Madhya Pradesh, set to join BJP

Bhopal: Another Congress MLA on Thursday resigned from Madhya Pradesh assembly.

Congress MLA from Mandhata in Khandwa district Narayan Singh Patel submitted his resignation to the pro-tem speaker of MP assembly Rameswar Sharma on Wednesday.

“I asked him to rethink his resignation. But, he met me again on Thursday requesting me to accept it. Hence, I accepted his resignation”, Sharma said.

Patel met chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan after he resigned from the assembly to clear the path for his induction in BJP.

Patel was the 25th Congress MLA in MP who quit as member of the house in the last four months.

In March this year, 22 Congress legislators, considered staunch followers of veteran leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, had resigned from assembly causing fall of 15-month-old Kamal Nath government.

Later, Scindia, a former Congress Working Committee (CWC) member, and the 22 ex-MLAs resigned from Congress and joined BJP.

Fourteen of the 22 ex-MLAs have been inducted in Shivraj ministry.

Last week, two Congress MLAs, Sumitra Devi Keskdar and Pradyumna Singh Lodhi resigned from the assembly.

They later joined BJP.

With Patel’s resignation, the strength of Congress in the house has reduced to 89.

Total 27 seats in the 230-member MP assembly have now fallen vacant.

Two MLAs, one from Congress and the other from BJP, died recently.

Decision on holding by-elections in 27 vacant assembly seats in MP is likely to be taken on Friday by Election Commission.