Madhya Pradesh crisis: Floor test unlikely today as Assembly Speaker keeps everyone guessing

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati has remained non-committal on conducting the trust vote on Monday. All eyes are on the Speaker whose call on the floor test — allowing or disallowing it on Monday on the first day of the Budget session — will have a bearing on the prevailing political situation in the Congress-ruled state.

floor test in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly for the Congress-ruled government to prove majority on Monday, as directed by Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon, seems unlikely today as the “motion of confidence” found no mention in the List of Business (LoB) issued by the state Assembly secretariat on Sunday night.

The LoB has mentioned only about the Governor’s customary address on the first day of the Budget session and the motion of thanks.

Speaker NP Prajapati also remained non-committal on conducting the trust vote on Monday saying, “you will come to know about it tomorrow [Monday].”

All eyes are on the Speaker whose call on the floor test — allowing or disallowing it on Monday on the first day of the Budget session — will have a bearing on the prevailing political situation in the Congress-ruled state.

“I said yesterday that a decision which I will have to take, I don’t take it pre-decided. This question is like taking a blind shot,” the Speaker said.

The Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh was pushed to the brink on Tuesday when 22 MLAs, supporters of Jyotiraditya Scindia who quit the Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), resigned.

These six MLAs were sacked from the Madhya Pradesh government after the legislators, along with 16 others, resigned in support of Jyotiraditya Scindia.

The Speaker has so far accepted resignations of six of the 22 MLAs, bringing down the effective strength of the House to 222 and the new majority mark at 112. The opposition BJP has 107 MLAs.

On Sunday, the other 16 rebel MLAs wrote to the Assembly Speaker, NP Prajapati, asking him to accept their resignations, as, they said, it was done a day before the six rebel ministers, who are camping in Bangalore.

Governor Lalji Tandon on Saturday wrote a letter to Chief Minister Kamal Nath and directed him to seek a trust vote in the Assembly on Monday (March 16) soon after his address.

“Under Article 174 and 175(2) of the Constitution, I am empowered to direct that MP Assembly session will begin on March 16 at 11 am with my address. Soon after, the only work to be done is voting on trust vote,” the governor said in the letter. The letter was also marked to the Speaker.

At around 11 am the Congress MLAs — who had earlier been taken to Jaipur in Rajasthan — reached the Bhopal airport and then were soon whisked away to a five-star hotel in the city.

Later in the day, the MLAs were brought from the hotel in Volvo buses and taken to the chief minister’s residence where the CLP meeting was held. After the meeting, the MLAs were taken back to the same hotel.

The day also witnessed a meeting between the BJP delegation and the state Governor, where the latter was informed about the malfunctioning of the electronic push-button voting machines.

While the Speaker has expressed concern about the rebel MLAs, he refused to commit whether he will order a floor test in the legislative Assembly.

I AM READY FOR THE FLOOR TEST: KAMAL NATH

Late Sunday night, Kamal Nath met Governor Lalji Tandon. After the meeting, the Madhya Pradesh chief minister said that he was called for a discussion on smooth proceedings of the state Assembly.

“I received Governor’s phone call, he called me here to meet him to discuss smooth functioning of state assembly. I told Governor that I will speak to Speaker tomorrow. It [floor test] will be decided by Speaker,” news agency ANI quoted Kamal Nath as saying.

Saying that he was ready for the floor test, Kamal Nath said, “I have told Governor that I am ready for the floor test and the MLAs who have been held captive should be released. I will speak to the Speaker tomorrow about it [floor test].”

MP GOVT IS RUNNING AWAY FROM FLOOR TEST: SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan alleged that the Congress-ruled government in the state is “running away” from the floor test as, he said, it has lost the majority in the Assembly after the exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia and 22 MLAs.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that the BJP would ask the Congress government to bring a confidence motion on Monday.

“Madhya Pradesh govt has lost its majority, that is why they are running away from it, we will ask govt to bring a confidence motion tomorrow. The chief minister has said he wants a floor test, then why is he not doing it? Our only demand is a floor test,” Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

He added: “Governor has ordered the government to conduct a floor test in the Assembly after his address. Chief Minister is saying it’s up to the Speaker and not him. What happens in the Assembly is decided by the government, the Speaker works on what is decided by the government.”