Six BSP MLAs join Congress

Jaipur: In a setback to BSP supremo Mayawati, all the six MLAs of her party in Rajasthan have defected to the ruling Congress. The development comes ahead of civic body polls and bypolls for two assembly seats in the state and has increased the tally of the Congress in the House of 200 (two vacant) to 106.
Hitting out at the Ashok Gehlot government, BSP President Mayawati said the Congress has once again proved that it is “unreliable” and “untrustworthy”.
MLAs Rajendra Singh Gudha, Jogendra Singh Awana, Wajib Ali, Lakhan Singh Meena, Sandeep Yadav and Deepchand met Assembly Speaker CP Joshi on Monday night and handed over a letter to him stating their decision to join the Congress.
BSP legislators were earlier supporting the Ashok Gehlot government from outside and were in constant touch with the chief minister. “All of us decided to join the Congress to strengthen the government in the interest of the state. We first met the chief minister and later gave a letter about our decision to the assembly speaker,” one of the MLAs, Joginder Singh Awana, told reporters here on Tuesday.
Mayawati termed the move as a “betrayal”. “The Congress government in Rajasthan has once again broken BSP MLAs and proved that it is an unreliable and untrustworthy party,” she said in a tweet.
The move is expected to provide more stability to the Gehlot government which came to power in December last year. (PTI)