Kamal Nath's Government In Crisis, 21 Congress MLAs Resign

21 Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh have quit the Kamal Nath government, plunging the state into a crisis. The state government has been struggling with a wafer-thin majority of just four MLAs - the majority mark was 116 in the 230-member assembly.

Seventeen MLAs were flown to Bengaluru on Monday night, following which the Congress leaders scrambled to control any damage. Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has been upset with the party over what was being seen as his diminished roles in party affairs, went incommunicado last night.

He surfaced this morning in Delhi with BJP chief Amit Shah for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Within minutes, Mr Scindia tweeted a letter he had written to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, mentioning the reason for his resignation.

"To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and my workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start," he wrote.

Should the 21 resignation be accepted, the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government will be reduced to a minority and likely be toppled. Sources have said five-six more MLAs are waiting to quit.

BJP MLAs in Madhya Pradesh will meet at a hotel in Bhopal this evening. Sources have said Mr Scindia will join the BJP soon.

At its Bhopal meeting the BJP is expected to stake claim to the government. The party is likely to present former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its chief ministerial candidate.