Madhya Pradesh: Newly-elected BJP MP Damor to resign as MLA

The strength of the BJP in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly would be reduced to 108 from current 109 as party member Guman Singh Damor is expected to resign as MLA following his victory in Lok Sabha polls.

State unit BJP president Rakesh Singh Tuesday announced that Damor would resign as MLA and continue as Lok Sabha member.

In the last month's Lok Sabha elections, Damor defeated former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria of the Congress from Ratlam-Jhabua constituency.

Damor was the only MLA fielded by the BJP in the general elections.

A former Engineer-in-Chief of the state Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, Damor had defeated Bhuria's son Vikrant from Jhabua assembly constituency in his maiden election last year.

"State party unit has decided that Damor will stay as MP and resign from Jhabua assembly seat," Singh told reporters at BJP headquarters.

Responding to a query on stability of the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh, Singh said, "We are not intended to topple the Kamal Nath government...It will fall out of its own contradictions".

In the assembly elections, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party by winning 114 seats, two short of the simple majority mark, in the 230-member House.

The Congress went on to form a coalition government by enlisting support of the BSP, the SP and Independents.