 "Harish Rawat")
A day before the floor test in Uttarakhand's legislative assembly, the issue reverberated in Delhi, after the high court in Nainital refused to stay the disqualification of nine rebel Congress MLAs and then the Supreme Court (SC) agreeing with this.
The nine will not be allowed to take part in Tuesday's confidence vote, much to the relief of the Congress, whose government whose ousted after they revolted, with the Centre imposing President's rule (on March 27).
The Lok Sabha, meanwhile, discussed and passed the state's Budget for 2016-17 (President's rule is in force). In the Rajya Sabha, opposition parties did not allow the matter to be taken up, arguing the assembly would itself be deciding the fate of ex-Congress chief minister Harish Rawat in a day. The Congress walked out of the Lok Sabha.
The floor test on Tuesday, will take place under detailed guidelines stipulated by the apex court. President’s rule will be kept in abeyance from 10.30 am to 1 pm and a video record of the proceedings will subsequently be placed before the SC. Voting is to be done through the raising of hands.
Security in and around the Uttarakhand Assembly has been strengthened. The media will not be allowed to witness the floor test, said Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal.
In the charged atmosphere, the Congress looked confident of winning the trust vote, claiming all the 27 party MLAs and those of its ally, the six-member Progressive Democratic Front (PDF), in the 61-member House (excluding the nine rebels). “We are confident that all our 27 and the six of the PDF will vote for us,” state Congress chief Kishore Upadhayay said Rawat exuded similar confidence.
One more MLA is a nominated one, from the Congress, and is also eligible to vote. The number required for a win is 31. Former chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said Rawat would not be able to prove a majority. “You see what will happen tomorrow," he said.
Political observers say four of the six-member PDF, mostly independents, should be voting for Rawat, apart from the 27 of the Congress. Two MLAs of the Bahujan Samaj party, also part of the PDF, say they'll vote as directed by the party's national head, Mayawati.
After the court verdicts, the BJP camp is left with 28 MLAs, including a Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty to the party is in doubt. In Parliament, the Lok Sabha passed the state Budget amid a Congress walkout. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Budget's passage was a constitutional requirement, as "there was a serious doubt" on whether it had been approved by the state assembly on March 18, the day when various developments led to the Rawat government's dismissal by the Centre.
Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in the Lok Sabha questioned the government's hurry, when the assembly was to meet within less than 24 hours. The Biju Janata Dal’s Kalikesh Narayana Singh Deo moved a resolution that argued the Centre's move was unconstitutional, as Parliament could take up the state Budget only after the Centre’s proclamation of President’s Rule was ratified by Parliament.
Jaitley, who moved the Bill, said the Speaker of the state assembly had on March 18 converted a minority into a majority, which brought about the constitutional crisis. The remedy was President's rule and the appropriation ordinance for the state Budget needed to be approved, whether now or after the floor test.
In the Rajya Sabha, deputy leader of the opposition Anand Sharma objected to the Budget being taken up even as the decision for President's Rule not having been placed before the House. Due to repeated disruption from the Congress benches, larger in numbers than the ruling coalition, the House had to adjourned for the day.
Meanwhile, the security in and around the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha has been beefed up. The media will not be allowed to witness the floor test, Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal said.
Numbers' chart
Effective strength of assembly 62 ; Majority needed 31
Congress claiming support of :
Congress MLAs 27 and Progress Democratic Front (PDF) four Independents (2 BSP still undecided)
(Inputs by Kavita Chowdhury & Archis Mohan)
