The Andhra Pradesh Assembly will begin a new session on the 18th of this month. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy recently reiterated that he will not attend unless given the Leader of the Opposition status.
It is unlikely that this status will be granted. As a result, Jagan may remain absent for the rest of the term. Other YSR Congress MLAs are also skipping the Assembly along with him.
Deputy Speaker Raghu Rama Krishna Raju recently reminded the media that disqualification is possible if a member stays away from the House for over 60 days. According to Article 190(4) of the Indian Constitution, legislators absent for 60 days without permission may face disqualification.
When asked about the issue, Jagan gave a layered response. He initially acted indifferent to the possibility of a by-election. But then, he pointed to a legal loophole in his defence.
Jagan stated that his petition regarding Opposition status is still pending in the Andhra Pradesh High Court. If the government pushes for disqualification, he hopes the court proceedings will delay any action.
He also hinted that in 2021, despite Chandrababu Naidu’s boycott, his government did not disqualify him. Jagan seemed to expect the same courtesy from Naidu now, though that appears unlikely.
Unlike Naidu, who allowed his MLAs to attend, Jagan is keeping his MLAs out of the House too. Reports suggest some YSR Congress MLAs are quietly signing attendance registers to claim salaries and avoid disqualification.
If the situation leads to disqualification, it remains to be seen how the government will respond, especially towards those MLAs trying to play both sides.
