Hours after most exit polls gave the BJP-led NDA a comfortable comeback to the centre, the party is now seeking an early Assembly session in a bid to corner the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh, which has a wafer-thin majority in the 230-member-house.
The leader of the opposition, BJP’s Gopal Bhargava, has written to the governor Anandiben Patel, seeking an early convening of the Assembly session. Talking to THE WEEK, Bhargava denied any claim that the Congress government was in a minority in the house. However, the LoP confirmed that he had sent a letter to the governor for an early session and that the party was strategising to put the Congress-led government through a test of strength on the floor of the house.
“We are looking at an early session of the house and the party would be finalising the strategy of going through the legislative process of putting the government through a floor test. I am not saying that the government is in minority or anything, but we will be seeking division of votes on important issues, including the financial bills, through due process before the Speaker and make the government prove its strength in the house,” Bhargava said.
Earlier, news agencies had reported him saying that the opposition was seeking a special session of the house for the Congress government to prove its majority. Bhargava clarified that while the exit polls predict a return of the BJP-led government at the centre, it does not have a bearing on legislative matters in the state.
However, Bhargava’s move is being seen as an attempt of the BJP to corner the Kamal Nath government in MP, as well as to prove his own relevance as the leader of the opposition.
The spokesperson of the MP Congress Committee, Narendra Saluja, said that Bhargava should wait until May 23 (result day) and then he would find MLAs and leaders of his own party revolting against him, and might even find his own post in jeopardy.
“There is simply no situation for calling an early session now and the LoP is merely trying to keep his relevance in party as he failed to campaign properly even in his home constituency. There is a lot going against him in the party,” Saluja said.
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However, throughout the Lok Sabha polls, BJP campaign leaders like ex-CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan have been indicating a possible toppling of the Congress government after the LS results. Chouhan has been openly saying during the campaign that with one vote, people of the state can have two governments, indicating a comeback for the BJP government.
In the 2018 Assembly polls, the BJP won 109 seats to the Congress’s 114. The Congress leads the current government with the support of four independents, two MLAs from the BSP and one from the SP.
However, political analysts say that since the Congress is still short of a majority, the BJP can hope for an upset in the house, especially if they return in the Centre as exit polls seem to indicate. With BSP supremo Mayawati sending out warning signals to the Congress following the switchover of its candidate in Guna constituency to Congress camp, the BJP is more buoyed, they say.
On Monday, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya tweeted a dig at CM Kamal Nath’s claim of winning 22 seats in the LS polls, saying that Nath should see whether he would even be able to continue as a CM for 22 days after the poll results.
