Bhopal, June 14 Three sitting MLAs, including an Independent, joined the BJP in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. Of them, one is from Samajwadi Party (SP) and another from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Three legislators who joined the saffron party are BSP MLA from Bhind - Sanjeev Kushwaha, the only MLA from SP in Madhya Pradesh assembly - Rajesh Shukla (Bijawar in Chhatarpur district) and an Independent MLA from Susner in Agar Malwa.
With this, the BJP's strength in the state assembly has increased to 130 from 127. It came just a day before the Election Commission of India (ECI) is to release notification for election for the 16th President. The last date for nomination is June 29, while the polls are to be held on July 18.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state BJP president V.D. Sharma and the state in-charge Murlidhar Rao welcomed the three MLAs at the party headquarters in Bhopal on Tuesday. Notably, the development came a day after Chouhan met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday.
Briefing the press on this occasion, Chouhan said that these three MLAs have been in touch with him since assembly poll results in 2018. "These MLAs have always stood in support of the BJP, but I had said that the BJP is not going to form the government after the 2018 poll results. But, now I welcome all three MLAs in the BJP family," Chouhan said.
Independent legislator Rana Vikram Singh, who had supported the Congress' 18 months government in the state, said that he was willing to join the BJP soon after the results were announced. "But, the situation was not in BJP's favour then. Now, I am happy that the BJP gave this opportunity to me to work for the people."
At present, in the 230-member assembly, the Congress has 96 legislators, BJP has 127, BSP has 2 and SP one.
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