5 Ahmedabad MLAs raised no question during assembly session

Five MLAs from Ahmedabad did not raise a single question during the ongoing session of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, prompting criticism over the lack of representation of local issues in the House.

Citizens elect municipal councillors and MLAs to represent their concerns. However, critics say that after assuming office, many elected representatives tend to prioritise party interests over public issues.

Ahmedabad city has 17 Assembly constituencies, of which 15 are currently represented by MLAs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and two by the Congress.

During the eighth session of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly held in February, the House functioned for 12 days. MLAs are expected to raise questions related to issues in their constituencies during the session.

However, data from the session indicates that out of the 15 BJP MLAs representing Ahmedabad constituencies, only eight raised questions in the Assembly. Five MLAs did not ask any questions during the session.

Two BJP MLAs were not included in the list, as they hold ministerial or constitutional positions, under which they are not permitted to ask questions in the Assembly.

The eight BJP MLAs collectively raised only 13 questions, many of which observers said were not directly related to pressing public concerns.

In contrast, the two Congress MLAs from Ahmedabad were more active in raising issues. One Congress legislator raised 22 questions while the other asked 19, taking the total number of questions from the opposition benches to 41.

Residents and civic observers point out that several issues continue to affect Ahmedabad, particularly in the older parts of the city and in newly merged areas where infrastructure challenges persist.

Critics say the limited participation of some MLAs raises questions about whether the concerns of citizens are being adequately voiced in the Assembly.