Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker resigns

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker N P Prajapati resigned late Monday night, hours after senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan took oath as chief minister of the state.

In his resignation letter submitted to Deputy Speaker Hina Kavre, Prajapati said he is resigning as speaker of the state assembly on moral grounds.

Prajapati, the Congress MLA from Gotegaon, was elected as speaker amid protests by the BJP in January last year after Kamal Nath became chief minister of the state.

Kamal Nath resigned as chief minister last week after his government lost majority following the resignation of 22 Congress MLAs.

Chouhan, 61, was back as Madhya Pradesh chief minister on Monday night for a record fourth term.

The legislator from Budhni took oath of office at a simple function in Raj Bhawan, where he was sworn-in by Governor Lalji Tandon at 9 pm.