Four new Gujarat BJP MLAs sworn in, party strength 103

Four newly-elected legislators of Gujarat's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were sworn in here on Tuesday.

Speaker Rajendra Trivedi administered the oath of office to MLAs Jawahar Chawda (Manavadar), Asha Patel (Unjha), Purshottam Sabaria (Dhrangadhara) and Raghavji Patel (Jamnagar Rural).

Chawda, Asha Patel and Sabaria had won on Congress ticket in the December 2017 Assembly elections.

With this, the strength of the BJP in the 182-member Assembly has increased to 103, followed by the Congress with 71 seats, Bharatiya Tribal Party two, Independents two and one of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Three seats are vacant.

Four more BJP seats have fallen vacant as party MLAs in these constituencies were elected to the Lok Sabha now.

After this, Gujarat will see by-elections to these four assembly constituencies as well as two Rajya Sabha seats with BJP President Amit Shah and former Union Minister Smriti Irani having been elected to the Lok Sabha from Gandhinagar and Amethi constituencies.

--IANS

desai/mr