As 22 Congress MLAs resign in MP, here's how the numbers could stack up in a floor-test

Senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday resigned from party. development came after miffed leader and former MP from Guna in Madhya Pradesh met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Along with Scindia, at least 22 MLAs of party including 6 Ministers who are in Bengaluru have tendered ir resignation from party.

BJP has eugh numbers to form govt

Madhya Pradesh assembly has a strength of 230 members. Two members have died since n one each from BJP and Congress. Ar BSP member was also suspended, making  current effective strength of House is 228 with two seats vacant.

Of 228 MLAs:

• Congress has: 114 MLAs
• BJP has: 107 MLAs
• BSP has: 2 MLAs (including 1 suspended)
• Samajwadi Party has: 1 MLA
• Independents have: 4 MLAs

MP government has support of two MLAs from BSP, one Samajwadi Party MLA and four are independents. However, after resignation of 22 Congress MLAs loyal to Scindia, overall strength of Assembly will fall to 206, and magic number required to form government will be 104. In that case, Congress would be left with just 92 MLAs, while BJP would still be having 107 MLAs in State Assembly, a comfortable number to form government.

'We have thing to do with this'

BJP had been in power for 15 years in Madhya Pradesh before losing out to Congress in 2018. Congress is making all attempts to negotiate a compromise with Scindia, but a solution seems increasingly impossible. "We have thing to do with this. This is Congress' internal matter and I would t like to comment on it. We had said on first day that we are t interested in bringing down government," senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

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Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Scindia may have gotten lured by offer of ministership made by Narendra Modi. "He held many senior posts in Congress party and was well respected. We kw his family has been associated with BJP for decades, but yet his exit is a big loss," he said.

READ | It's Official! Jyotiraditya Scindia resigns from Congress; Read his letter to Sonia Gandhi

According to sources, Jyotiraditya Scindia will join  BJP on Tuesday evening and it is possible that he would be sent to Rajya Sabha on a BJP ticket and may even get a ministership in Narendra Modi government at Centre.

READ | SCOOP: Jyotiraditya Scindia to join BJP & be named RS candidate; MP floor test on March 16

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