Raj HC asks Speaker to decide on merger of BSP MLAs, Congress within 3 months

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], Aug 24 (ANI): The Rajasthan High Court on Monday asked the State Assembly Speaker to decide within three months on the merger of six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs in the state with the Congress party.
A single-judge bench of the High Court issued the order dismissing the pleas filed by the BSP and BJP MLA Madan Dilawar against the merger of BSP MLAs with the Congress party.
Earlier, a division bench of the Rajasthan High Court had directed that the single-judge bench hearing the application seeking a stay on the merger to decide on the matter.
The single-judge bench court had, on July 30, heard the application seeking a stay on the order announcing the merger and issued notices to the Speaker, Secretary of the Legislative Assembly and six BSP MLAs in the State asking them to file their reply.
Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha had contested and won the 2018 Assembly elections on a BSP ticket but had later joined the Congress party in September 2019.
The High Court, in a relief for Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led government, which was reeling under a crisis at the time, had earlier dismissed Dilawar's previous plea seeking directions to quash the merger.
Trouble for the Rajasthan Congress mounted after simmering differences between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot came out in the open. However, the two senior Congress leaders appear to have resolved their differences after the intervention of senior leaders.
The Congress had also accused the BJP of attempting to topple the Gehlot-led government in Rajasthan. The BJP had denied the charge. (ANI)