Another Congress MLA in Madhya Pradesh, Sumitra Devi Kasdekar, legislator from Nepanagar, resigned from the Vidhan Sabha on Friday.
Assembly pro-tem Speaker Rameshwar Sharma accepted the resignation of the first-time legislator from Burhanpur district, said a Vidhan Sabha order. The resignation reduced the Congress’s strength in the Assembly down 90. The BJP has 107 members in the Assembly.
On July 12, Congress MLA Kunwar Pradyumna Singh Lodhi joined the BJP within hours of resigning as a legislator. He was later appointed the Chairman of the State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd. and accorded a Cabinet rank.
“Ms. Kasdekar will be joining the BJP too,” said an informed source within the party.
Earlier in March, 22 Congress MLAs, including 19 supporters of former Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, resigned to bring down the 15-month Congress government. Currently, 26 Assembly seats are vacant.
Ms. Kasdekar didn’t respond to phone calls despite several attempts.
Trade charges
Accusing the BJP of attempting to lure Congress MLAs to cross over, State Congress spokesman Abhay Dubey said, “The BJP is aware that the public perception is against them. It has betrayed the public, which knows about its tricks.”
Denying the charge, BJP State media in-charge Lokendra Parashar accused Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh of sabotaging his own party. “He is doing this as the State is not in his hands. Under pressure from Mr. Singh, the decisions Kamal Nath is taking as the State Congress president and the Chief Minister in the past, and the way he has throttled democracy, will only yield such results.”
Session put-off
At an all-party meeting convened by the Speaker on the monsoon session of the Assembly, scheduled to begin on July 20, it was decided to recommend to the Governor that the session be postponed in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic is spreading rapidly across the country. Half a dozen of our MLAs have been infected already. Many police personnel and doctors have also died of it,” said Mr. Sharma.
Stating that legislators came from all parts of the State, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters, “They would then go back to their houses. We felt through consensus that running a session in such a situation will not be appropriate.”
Mr. Nath said the Assembly should set an example for the State.