YS Jagan’s Assembly Boycott: Can His MLA Seat Be Nullified?
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and Pulivendula MLA YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has made a striking decision to completely avoid the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly sessions, choosing instead to address the media in press conferences to voice his criticisms of the government. This decision has raised eyebrows, especially regarding its potential implications on his legislative seat.
Jagan’s stance of bypassing the assembly comes amidst increasing speculation and discussions on social media about whether his absence could lead to the nullification of his MLA seat. According to Article 190(4) of the Indian Constitution, if an MLA remains absent from all sessions of the assembly for more than sixty days without the house’s permission, the assembly has the authority to declare his seat vacant.
This provision suggests that, theoretically, Jagan’s seat could be at risk if he continues to refrain from attending the sessions for an extended period. However, this scenario is unlikely to materialize in the short term. The practice of opposition leaders walking out of the assembly or abstaining from its sessions is not uncommon in Andhra Pradesh politics. Jagan himself had previously distanced himself from the assembly in the lead-up to his 2019 Padayatra, and his political rival, former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, faced a similar situation when YSRCP MLAs criticized his family during assembly sessions.
While the constitutional provision remains in place, the political landscape in Andhra Pradesh suggests that such drastic steps are rarely enforced, especially when the absence of opposition members is seen as part of the larger political strategy. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Jagan’s boycott of the assembly will lead to any formal consequences or if it is just another episode in the ongoing tug-of-war between the ruling and opposition parties in the state.
