New Delhi: Six MLAs of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) today joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.
The MLAs are: Navin Jaiswal from Hatia, Randhir Kumar Singh from Sarath, Janki Prasad Yadav from Barkatha, Ganesh Ganjhu from Simaria, Amar Kumar Bauri from Chandankyari and Alok Kumar Chaurasia from Daltonganj.
On Tuesday, all the six MLAs had written to Assembly Speaker Dinesh Oraon about their decision to join the ruling coalition. They had also urged Oraon to allot them separate seats alongside ruling coalition members in the Assembly
The BJP had won 37 seats in Assembly elections held in December 2014. With the help of its ally, AJSU, which had bagged 5 seats, the party had formed the government. The six new MLAs will take BJP's strength to 43 in the 81-member assembly.
The latest development has come amid Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) president Babulal Marandi levelling horse-trading charges against the BJP.
The opposition JVM, which has eight MLAs in the House, had suspended four -- Jaiswal, Bauri, Ganju and Chourasia -- and urged the Speaker to disqualify them from their membership of the House.
The party had also submitted a memorandum to Governor Syed Ahmed demanding a judicial probe by a sitting judge into the 'horse trading of MLAs'.
Marandi had led the first BJP-led NDA government after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar on 15 November, 2000. He left the saffron party and floated JVM a few years ago.
