WEB DESK
All eyes on Madhya Pradesh Governor as Shivraj Singh Chouhan gears up to stake claim after Kamal Nath’s resignation
With 107 MLAs, BJP now has the number to stake claim to form the government in Madhya Pradesh as the House strength has now come down to 104.
In presence of senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and Congress MLAs, Congress Chief Minister Kamal Nath announced his resignation on Friday. Kamal Nath said he would meet Governor Lalji Tandon at 1pm to submit his resignation. The resignation ends the 15-month tenure of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and paves the way for the BJP to return to power.
“In December 2018, I came to power in the Assembly. The public had given me a mandate for five years. I worked hard for 15 months. We have always believed in development. The public can see the truth behind the hostage-holding of MLAs. The truth will come out and they will not forgive,” he said.
The announcement comes after an intense year of factional feud between the Kamal Nath-Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia factions of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, which resulted in the latter resigning and joining the BJP, taking along with him lawmakers who were loyal to him.
An Independent MLA who was a Minister in the Kamal Nath government, which fell on Friday, said he would extend support to the new dispensation in Madhya Pradesh to ensure the development of his constituency.
Nath submitted his resignation ahead of a floor test in the Assembly after his government was reduced to a minority following the quitting of 22 MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia who crossed over to the BJP.
Speaking to reporters, Waraseoni MLA and mining minister in the Kamal Nath government Pradeep Jaiswal said,”Today is the last day of the (Nath) government. I was elected thrice on a Congress ticket but didn’t get a party ticket for the fourth time. I was not given a ticket by the Congress but people collected funds to get me elected.”
“I had earlier said I will support as long as there is a Kamal Nath government in the state…I don’t have any option now. I will extend support to the new government to ensure development of my constituency,” Jaiswal said.