Vote against Congress: BSP issues whip to six Rajasthan MLAs

Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday issued a whip to six MLAs in the Rajasthan Assembly to vote against the Congress if Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sought a trust vote.

The six MLAs, who had won the December 2018 assembly elections under the BSP symbol, had joined Congress last year, giving Gehlot the much needed majority.

Congress had won 99 seats in the 200-member assembly, two short of a majority.

Follow updates on the Rajasthan political crisis here

BSP General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra, in a statement, said that since BSP was a national party, the legislature party at the state level cannot merge with any party unless the central leadership decided to do so.

Mishra said if the six MLAs voted against the party whip, they were liable to be disqualified from the assembly.

Mishra said the BSP would also intervene in the case in the Rajasthan High Court challenging the disqualification proceedings against rebel Congress MLAs.