New Delhi: Ten out of the twelve BJP MPs who contested and emerged victorious in the recent state elections held in November have officially resigned from Parliament, with notable figures such as union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Prahlad Patel among them. These resignations also signal their imminent departure from the cabinet. Prahlad Patel, currently serving as the Minister of State for Food Processing, stated to news agency, “I have resigned as MP and will resign from the cabinet soon.”
The resignations are characterized as procedural, following constitutional norms that prohibit an individual from concurrently serving as a Member of Parliament and the Legislative Assembly of a state.
The remaining two MPs who have not submitted their resignations yet are Baba Balaknath from Rajasthan’s Alwar and Renuka Singh from Chhattisgarh’s Sarguja. However, sources suggest that their resignations are anticipated shortly. Many of the BJP leaders who relinquished their parliamentary roles are believed to be contenders for the role of chief minister in the three states the party emerged victorious in: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh.
The timing of these resignations has fueled speculation that the party might make announcements regarding chief ministerial appointments shortly, potentially even on the same day. BJP sources indicated that the party is considering introducing new faces, thereby ruling out the possibility of a fifth term for Shivraj Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh, a state the party has governed. The other two states were previously under Congress control. A prolonged meeting, spanning almost five hours and attended by key figures such as Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party leader JP Nadda, took place at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in Delhi today.
In the recently concluded elections, where the BJP triumphed over the Congress in three states but faced defeat in two others, the party fielded a total of 21 MPs, including five union ministers. The distribution comprised seven MPs each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, four in Chhattisgarh, and three in Telangana. The resignations and the subsequent political developments underscore the dynamic landscape as the BJP strategizes and navigates the post-election scenario.
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