Mumbai, India News Stream: Maharasthra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has called for a floor test tomorrow to prove the majority of Uddhav Thackrey led Maha Vikash Aghadi (MVA) government in the assembly.
The governor has given time till 5 pm tomorrow to conduct the floor test. For the test a special session of the Maharashtra has been summoned on Thursday .
It may be mentioned here that a delegation of BJP leaders, led by leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis, met governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday evening and asked him to convene a floor test in the House for chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority.
Fadnavis said the Shiv Sena’s 39 MLAs have clearly stated that they are not with the government.
Eight Independent MLAs have also reportedly sent an email to the registered email address of the Maharashtra governor demanding an immediate floor test.
The week-old political crisis in the state was triggered by Sena leader Eknath Shinde’s rebellion against the ruling coalition of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The rebel camp is currently lodged at hotel in Guwahati, Assam, a BJP-ruled state.
Rebel leader Eknath Shinde said that he will reach Mumbai alongwith others on Thursday.
Notably, on Tuesday Thackeray made another appeal to the rebels to return to Mumbai and hold talks with him, saying it’s not “too late”.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut ratcheted up the rhetoric against the rebels, warning that those who have betrayed the party leadership should not be able to move around freely. (India News Stream)
Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena MLAs on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the disqualification proceedings against the 16 MLAs have no bearing on the floor test scheduled for Thursday, and emphasised that they represent the Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is in a “hopeless minority”.
Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, representing the rebel MLAs, submitted before the bench of Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala that the top court, in its judgments, had said the disqualification proceedings against the MLAs have no bearing on the floor test in the House.
“We are the Shiv Sena and we represent the Shiv Sena (not the other minority),” he said, telling the court that there are 39 dissident MLAs, out of which 16 have been served with disqualification notices and emphasising that “the dance of democracy takes place on the floor of the House”.
Kaul said that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is “in a hopeless minority within the party itself, forget the House”. He submitted that the best way to prevent horse trading is to conduct the floor test.
At this, Justice Surya Kant queried Kaul: “Is it your argument that there can be a very dangerous move against democratic morality, if the incumbent government were to use the office for disqualification, after learning that it has lost the majority?”