Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker accepts resignations of 16 rebel MLAs

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati on Friday said that he has accepted the resignations of 16 rebel Congress MLAs ahead of the scheduled floor test in the state assembly later today.

"I had accepted 16 resignations last night. Now I have also accepted the resignation of Sharad Kol (BJP MLA). He had earlier said that he was forcefully made to resign but after looking at his documents and that he didn't meet me personally, it didn't seem like that," Prajapati told reporters here.

He said that the delay was caused as he was following the procedure.

"The lawyer of the members had in the Supreme Court yesterday said that they had tendered their resignation and did not wish to appear in the assembly," Prajapati said.

The Supreme Court had yesterday ordered for a floor test to be conducted in Madhya Pradesh Assembly by a show of hands by 5 pm on Friday.

The top court was hearing the petition filed by former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other BJP leaders seeking floor test in Madhya Pradesh Assembly claiming that the Congress government in the state has lost the majority.

The development came after 22 Congress MLAs tendered their resignation after Jyotiraditya Scindia, a prominent face of the Congress, quit the party and joined the BJP. Scindia was subsequently announced to be the BJP's candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.