As the month-long Budget Session begins in Gujarat, the opposition’s strength in the Assembly is further weakened with the resignation of Dharmendrasinh Vaghela, who had won the Waghodia seat as an Independent after rebelling against the BJP. With the resignation of Vaghela, the strength of the members in the Gujarat Assembly is reduced to 178 out of 182, with the BJP holding 156 seats.
The decrease in opposition numbers is compounded by the earlier resignations of two Congress MLAs and one Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA, all of whom left their respective parties. Additionally, Chaitar Vasava, the AAP’s working president and leader of the legislative party, is likely to miss the Budget Session as he is in jail facing charges of assault.
Since around 2007, the time allocated for MLAs to participate in discussions on the Budget in the Gujarat Assembly is based on a pro-rata basis, considering party strength. With the significant imbalance in party representation, the opposition is likely to face challenges in effectively participating in discussions.
The BJP secured an unprecedented 156 seats out of 182 in the December 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections, while the Congress won only 17 seats, and the AAP opened its account with 5 seats. The three Independents who won had all rebelled against the BJP but later pledged their support to the ruling party.
The resignations and decrease in opposition strength raise concerns about the balance of power and the ability of opposition members to effectively raise issues and participate in discussions during the Budget Session. The ruling party’s dominance in the Assembly suggests that the opposition’s influence may be limited, potentially affecting the quality of debates and discussions in the legislative body.
