Rajasthan Assembly strength drops to 199 after BJP MLA Jaswant Singh Yadav dies

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Jaipur, Nov 9 (IANS) The strength of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly has once again dropped to 199 following the death of senior BJP leader and Behror MLA Dr Jaswant Singh Yadav.

He breathed his last on Sunday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Jaipur. With the demise of Yadav, the Behror Assembly constituency has fallen vacant, reducing the effective strength of the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly to 199.

His death has also brought attention to a long-discussed coincidence surrounding the strength of the state Assembly, where all 200 seats have rarely remained occupied for an entire legislative term.

Jaswant Singh Yadav was a senior BJP leader who had also served as a minister and represented the region in public life for several years. His last rites will be performed on Monday in his native village, Silpata.

News of his demise triggered an outpouring of grief across Alwar and the Behror region, with BJP workers, supporters and political leaders expressing condolences.

Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma expressed deep sorrow over his death, saying the news was extremely painful. He extended condolences to the bereaved family and supporters and prayed for peace for the departed soul.

Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also expressed grief, describing Yadav as an experienced leader with a long public career. Gehlot recalled meeting him a few months ago when he was recovering in Chennai. Kerala Governor Om Prakash Mathur also paid tribute to the senior BJP leader, recalling his contributions as a former MP, minister, district chief and sitting MLA from Behror.

Following Jaswant Singh Yadav’s death, the Behror Assembly seat has become vacant. Under Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Election Commission is generally required to conduct a by-election within six months of a vacancy arising due to death, resignation or disqualification of a legislator.

Since the vacancy occurred on November 8, the by-election would ordinarily be required by May 8, 2027, subject to statutory exceptions. The Election Commission may announce the schedule separately or club the Behror by-election with elections or other pending bypolls in different parts of the country.

Voting could therefore take place between February and April 2027, although the final dates will depend on the Commission’s announcement.

The reduction in the Assembly’s strength to 199 has once again revived discussions about an unusual coincidence with Rajasthan’s new Assembly building in Jyoti Nagar, Jaipur.

However, political discussions and social media debates frequently revisit the fact that all 200 legislators have rarely remained in the House for a complete five-year term since the new Assembly building came into use in 2001.

Whenever elections are held, vacancies arise due to delayed elections, the death of sitting MLAs or other circumstances. As a result, the effective strength of the House often falls to 199 during a legislative term.

The 15th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly (2018–2023) also witnessed the deaths of several sitting legislators. Among them were Bhanwarlal Sharma, Kailash Trivedi, Kiran Maheshwari, Gajendra Singh Shaktawat and Master Bhanwarlal Meghwal.

These deaths repeatedly brought the Assembly’s effective strength below its sanctioned capacity of 200 members. Now, with the death of Behror MLA Jaswant Singh Yadav during the tenure of the 16th Assembly, the same situation has emerged again.

–IANS

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RDX used in blast near railway station, says Punjab BJP working chief

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