MP CM Kamal Nath resigns paving way for BJP to form govt

MADHYA Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Friday, March 20 submitted resignation to the Governor Lalji Tandon ahead of the floor test to prove majority support in the state legislative assembly as directed by the Supreme Court by 1700 hours later in the day. After his government fell short of the majority mark, he had announced to quit at a press conference in Bhopal before departing to the Raj Bhawan for handing resignation to Governor Tandon who had asked him to prove majority on the floor the assembly. But he had defied Governor’s directive claiming majority support. At the press meet, he slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for plotting against him. As per the apex court’s order, the trust vote was listed in the  Madhya Pradesh Assembly’s list of business for today at 2 pm. The Congress-led government had been pushed to the brink following former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia joining BJP. The state assembly speaker Narmada Prasad Prajapati late Thursday night accepted the resignations of the remaining 16 rebel Congress MLAs who have been in Bengaluru since March 9. With this, the resignations of all 22 MLAs in Scandia’s camp brings down the total strength of the assembly to 206 where the ruling Congress with 92 members and seven allied MLAs — at least five short of a simple majority of 104. The opposition BJP with 107 MLAs is three more than the simple majority. Earlier, the Budget Session of the state legislative Assembly was adjourned until March 26 in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Kamal Nath’s predecessor Shivraj Singh Chouhan, three-time CM, is the front runner to head the MP government.