Madhya Pradesh: Out of house, 162 ex-MLAs now go house hunting

BHOPAL: With Congress taking over the reins in Madhya Pradesh, the Vidhan Sabha secretariat has issued notices to 119 MLAs to vacate their official accommodations. The new cabinet is to be sworn in on Monday.
Earlier, the secretariat had issued notices to 43 MLAs, who did not contest the assembly elections, to move out of the accommodation allotted to them during the formation of 14th Assembly.“We are trying to provide accommodation to newly-elected MLAs. There are 43 former legislators who did not contest the election while a large number of sitting MLAs lost. We have urged them to vacate the government accommodation at the earliest so that new MLAs can be adjusted immediately after they are sworn in as members of the 15th assembly,” said Vidhan Sabha principal secretary A P Singh.
Thirteen of the 33 ministers in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet lost the recent assembly election. So did 85 sitting legislators (58 NJP, 23 Congress and all four from BSP). They, too, have to vacate their bungalows. On Friday, former minister Ranjana Baghel vacated her bungalow in 74 Bungalows area. Many more ministers are likely to shift to new accommodations in the next two days, say sources. Outgoing chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has already begun the process of vacating the CM’s official residence in Shyamla Hills, a picturesque property overlooking Upper Lake. Chouhan is moving back to a bungalow he was allotted in 2005.
So, far 162 ex-MLAs have been served notices to vacate official accommodations. In order to accommodate new lawmakers, the assembly secretariat has arranged for 60 additional rooms at the MLA Rest House. “Some rooms were renovated for newcomers and 150 rooms in rest houses of PWD, CPA (capital project administration) and other departments have been booked for new MLAs,” said an official. Most MLAs and ministers’ accommodation are in Tulsi Nagar, Shivaji Nagar, 45 Bungalows and 74 Bungalows area in Bhopal.