india

Updated: Jun 03, 2019 07:43 IST

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remains indecisive about letting a Madhya Pradesh legislator resign following his election to the Lok Sabha, according to people aware of developments. It fears the by-election Guman Singh Damor’s resignation may allow ruling Congress to consolidate its position in the state assembly, where it has a wafer-thin majority.

The Congress has 114 lawmakers and is a seat short of the half-way mark in the 230-member state assembly. The BJP has 109 seats. One Samajwadi Party, two Bahujan Samaj Party and four independent lawmakers support the Congress government.

One of the independents is a minister in chief minister Kamal Nath’s government.

Damor, who won the Ratlam Lok Sabha seat, admitted the BJP was in a dilemma whether he should take oath as Lok Sabha member or retain his Jhabua assembly seat. “My party will take a decision within a few days if I have to resign from the state assembly,” he said. He said he is supposed to resign within 14 days of the notification of his election on May 23.

The BJP had on May 20 asked Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel to convene a special assembly session saying the Congress government in MP did not have a majority.

The move came three days before the BJP returned to power with a bigger mandate at the Centre. The BJP swept the Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh, where it won 28 out of the 29 seats.

State Congress spokesman, Santosh Gautam, said his party has as no doubt its government enjoys a majority. “BJP leaders are desperate to grab power despite the mandate going against them in assembly polls held last year,” said Gautam.

His BJP counterpart, Rajneesh Agrawal, said Damor will decide in the next one week or so. “The BJP will win Jhauba seat if a by-poll is held,” he said.