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Rajnath Singh govt receives a jolt
as BJP MLA resigns, joins SP

Chowdhry announced his resignation at a press conference organised by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in Lucknow.

Chowdhry said his resignation from the assembly was in accordance with SP MLAs' decision to resign en masse in order to force early polls in the state.

He charged the Rajnath Singh government with having 'totally failed in controlling floods in eastern UP'.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kesri Nath Tripathi on Monday accepted the resignations of 76 MLAs from the House.

"The resignations of 72 MLAs from the SP and four others have been accepted," Tripathi told reporters in Lucknow.

The Speaker said these MLAs had met him personally and after being satisfied, he accepted their resignations. The remaining 30 SP MLAs, who had resigned last week, had not yet presented themselves before him.

The four other MLAs whose resignation had been accepted were Jantantrik Bahujan Samaj Party's Ram Ratan Yadav, Janata Dal's Ram Khilari, BJP's Chaudhary Ravindra Pratap (who had also resigned from the party) and independent Hari Prasad, who had earlier joined the SP.

The five-Left party MLAs, who have also resigned, would be summoned to confirm their resignations, he said.

Tripathi said the list of the MLAs, whose resignations had been accepted, would be sent to the Election Commission.

Stating that the resignations would in no way affect the business of the House, he said "The majority of the government in the House will increase as the effective strength of the House will be reduced."

On the election of the new leader of opposition, he said he would take a decision in this regard on Tuesday.

After the resignations of the SP MLAs, the Bahujan Samaj Party has become the largest opposition party in the Vidhan Sabha.

At the press conference, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav appealed to the governor to dissolve the state assembly as the term of the present assembly expires on October 17 next.

The BJP, he noted, had acknowledged as much since it had clearly stated that its MLAs would stop claiming salary and other benefits after October 17.

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