MP crisis: 106 BJP MLAs reach Guv's residence, demand floor test

Bhopal, Mar 16: A total of 106 MLAs of the BJP reached the residence of Governor Lalji Tandon on Monday noon demanding immediate floor test after the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly was adjourned till March 26. Senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the BJP has majority in the House.

The BJP has 107 MLAs in the Assembly, which now has an effective strength of 222, with the majority mark being 112.

Earlier in the day, Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon asked legislators to follow Constitutional traditions and maintain dignity of democracy in his brief address to the House on the first day of the Budget session even as opposition BJP demanded holding of a floor test.

As soon as Tandon started speaking just after 11 am, chief whip of BJP legislative party Narottam Mishra objected saying the governor has come to praise the government, which the latter believes is in a minority. Tandon didn't read out the entire address.

The governor urged the legislators to follow the Constitutional traditions, maintain dignity of democracy and act peacefully in the current situation prevailing in the state. After his address which lasted for barely two minutes, Tandon left the Assembly along with Speaker NP Prajapati.

Notably, the governor on Saturday night directed Chief Minister Kamal Nath to hold a floor test on Monday in view of resignations by 22 MLAs of the ruling Congress resigning on March 10.

Amid suspense over holding of a floor test, MLAs of the ruling Congress and opposition BJP had started arriving for the session which began at 11 am. Many legislators could be seen wearing protective masks in view of the novel coronavirus scare. These masks were provided by the state Assembly Secretariat as announced earlier by Speaker NP Prajapati.

Prominent members who reached the House included Chief Minister Kamal Nath, BJP vice president and MLA Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava and others. The Assembly session began after recitation of Vande Mataram. MLAs also raised slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai

The MLAs of the BJP reached the Assembly in three separate buses along with senior party leaders. They had landed in Bhopal from Manesar in Haryana at around 2 am. The House was later adjourned till March 26 by Speaker NP Prajapati, after state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Govind Singh raised the issue of coronavirus threat.