Political activities hot up in Madhya Pradesh over the disqualification of BJP MLA from Pawai Prahlad Singh Lodhi.
A group of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs here on Tuesday called on the Governor Lalaji Tandon over disqualification of party’s MLA from Pawai Prahlad Singh Lodhi.
Besides, Chief Electoral Officer VL Kantha Rao here on Tuesday clarified that the State assembly was empowered to disqualify MLA and a by-poll is due within next six months in Madhya Pradesh with a seat in assembly falling vacant.
While talking to media persons, Rao said, “We have informed the Election Commission of India (ECI) about the vacancy of the seat.”
Sources claimed that former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was summoned by the party high command to New Delhi on Tuesday as the party top brass was not happy with the state unit’s response to MLA’s disqualification.
While Chouhan was out of the city, several BJP MLAs including – Narayan Tripathi, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Shailendra Jain, Vijay Shah and others gathered at residence of Narottam Mishra, the party chief whip in assembly and later reached Rajbhavan to hand Governor a memorandum on the issue.
Speaking to the media after meeting the Governor, former assembly speaker Sitasaran Sharma questioned the action saying the assembly isn’t empowered to disqualify any MLA and added that the power rests with the Governor.
Narottam Mishra, speaking to the media backed Sharma’s claims saying the governor has promised us a response after consulting his legal advisors. After receiving his reply, we would decide out future course of action, he added.
Congress media in-charge Shobha Oza on the issue claimed that article 192 of the Indian constitution clearly states that the matter would reach the Governor in case the ineligibility of any MLA is not clear. “When the MLA has been convicted by court and the assembly has declared him ineligible to continue as an MLA in the light of the Supreme Court order, the BJP can’t take shelter in article 192,” she claimed.