india

Updated: Sep 17, 2019 12:46 IST

All six legislators of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Rajasthan joined the Congress and conveyed their decision to the state Assembly Speaker CP Joshi late on Monday night.

The legislators met Joshi and gave him a letter saying that they are joining the Congress, which ousted the Bharatiya Janata Party in the desert state in the 2018 Assembly elections.

Reacting to the development, BSP chief Mayawati said that the Congress had proved yet again it was an unreliable party. The move by the BSP MLAs raises the strength of the Congress to 106 in the 200-member house.

The late-night development has bolstered the Congress’s position in the Assembly. The Congress now has the support of 119 MLAs, including one of that of alliance partner Rastriya Lok Dal (RLD) and 12 of 13 independent MLAs in the Assembly.

The six BSP MLAs are Joginder Singh Awana from the Nadbai Assembly constituency, Deep Chand from Kishangarh Bas, Rajendra Singh Gudha from Udaipurwati, Lakhan Singh from Karauli, Wajib Ali from Nagar and Sandeep Kumar from Tijara.

“We have joined Congress for development in Rajasthan and in our constituencies. It was important for all of us to join Congress and a unanimous decision was taken. The BSP was extending its support to the Congress in the Assembly, but on the other hand was fighting in Lok Sabha elections,” said Awana.

He added that they would contest upcoming local bodies and panchayat elections under the Congress.

In 2009, during Ashok Gehlot’s earlier tenure, all the six Bahujan Samaj Party legislators had also defected to Congress. That time, the government was five short of a clear majority.

The Congress now has the support of 119 MLAs, including one of that of alliance partner Rastriya Lok Dal (RLD) and 12 of 13 independent MLAs.

(With inputs from PTI)