19 Congress MLAs resign from Assembly after Scindia quits

Hours after senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the Congress fold, 19 party MLAs also submitted their resignation from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly today.

Scindia, who was a member of the Congress for 18 years, said, "it is time to move on". Minutes later, the party expelled him for "anti-party activities", The Indian Express reported. 

Scindia is expected to join the BJP later today and may get a Rajya Sabha ticket from Madhya Pradesh by the saffron party after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah earlier today.

Sources said Scindia has the support of between 17 to 20 MLAs. The MLAs had snapped contact with their colleagues on Monday.  Sources said neither central nor state leaders of the BJP were aware of the developments, and that it was orchestrated by Shah and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

His meeting with PM Modi and Shah came amid a tussle within the Madhya Pradesh Congress for the race for two Rajya Sabha seats, which the party can win out of the three that fall vacant on April 9.

In the 230 member House, the Congress has 114 MLAs and the support of four Independents, three Samajwadi Party MLAs and two Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs. The BJP has 109 MLAs. Two seats are vacant.