The Congress and BJP have issued whips to their respective legislators to be present in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Friday for the floor test of the Kamal Nath-led government.
Amid political crisis in the state, Chief Minister Kamal Nath will address the media at his official premises today.
Also Read: MP govt crisis: SC asks Speaker to decide on resignations of 16 Cong MLAs, resumes hearing today
As per Supreme Court’s order, the floor test has been mentioned in Madhya Pradesh Assembly’s list of business for today. The floor test has been mentioned at 2 pm.
The Supreme Court on Thursday rescinded the order of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly’s Speaker, adjourning the House by two weeks and ordered the conducting of the floor test on Friday (March 20).
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati accepted resignations of 16 Congress MLAs on Thursday night.
The Apex Court has also ordered that the floor test should be conducted and the proceedings should be completed by 5 PM on the particular day and the entire process is to be video-graphed. The test shall be conducted by a show of hands as opposed to the ballot test.
The top court was hearing the petition filed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other BJP leaders seeking floor test in Madhya Pradesh Assembly claiming that the Congress government in the state has lost the majority.
This crisis in the state has been necessitated due to the resignation tendered by 22 Congress MLA’s who are believed to be close to Jyotiraditya Rao Scindia who recently joined the BJP. They have been in Bangalore ever since this political drama played out.
The Opposition BJP which challenged the decision of the Speaker welcomed the decision of the Apex Court and expressed its confidence in the proceedings to be conducted and rued that the government of the day has lost confidence of the people of the state.
Earlier in the day, the Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking two weeks time to conduct the floor test. This was then slammed by the Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan.
Chauhan slammed the speaker and asked whether this two week period was to actually engage in a game of horse trading.
The Speaker N Prajapati sought time from the apex court to conduct the floor test and asked the rebel MLA’s to return from Bengaluru to Bhopal, before a floor test could be conducted.
He had snubbed the Governor of the state earlier, by refusing to adhere to his direction and conducting the test immediately.
The Former CM had approached the apex court after the Speaker’s decision.
The apex court has in recent times slammed various decisions of the Speaker and limited the roles of the office in matters related to Anti-defection.