Unable To Get A Car, Madhya Pradesh MLA Borrows Bike To Get To Assembly

Newly-elected Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) MLA Kamleshwar Dodiyar rode to Bhopal on motorcycle as he could not get a car, and broadcast his ride live through social media.

Dodiyar, the lone MLA of his party, was elected from the Sailana constituency in Ratlam district in the November 17 elections to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.

He tried to arrange a car for his first visit to the state capital after becoming an MLA, but could not get one, he told reporters.

Finally he borrowed his brother-in-law's motorbike, pasted a sticker with the word "MLA" on it, and rode off with an associate braving chilly weather, Dodiyar said after reaching Bhopal on Wednesday night after a 330-km ride.

After reaching Bhopal, he found accommodation at the MLA Rest House as a `guest'.

On Thursday, he lay prostrate before the assembly's entry gate to pay his respects to the temple of democracy and then presented his credentials as an MLA before the officials.

In a post on social media, where he tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Ratlam police, Dodiyar said since he could not arrange a car for travelling to Bhopal to complete paperwork at the assembly, he was leaving on a motorbike and necessary security should be provided for him so that nothing untoward happens on the way.

He also broadcast his ride to Bhopal through Facebook Live.

As he belongs to the family of a poor labourer, he can not afford a four-wheeler, and he contested the election by borrowing money from people, he said.

Dodiyar, who defeated sitting Congress MLA Harsh Vijay Gehlot by 4,618 votes, is pursuing LLB from Delhi University.

While the BJP bagged 163 seats and the Congress 66 seats, BAP won the remaining one seat in the 230-member assembly.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)