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A stumped BJP

Last Updated 29 March 2016, 19:13 IST

Uttarakhand High Court’s order for a floor test in the assembly on Thursday to prove if sacked Harish Rawat government enjoys a majority came as a setback for the BJP. The order questioned President’s rule imposed in the state by the Modi government on Sunday.

On record, the BJP said they were weighing options but the views would be firmed up after going through Nainital High Court’s singe judge bench order, which also stated that the nine rebel Congress MLAs may participate in the trust vote. The votes of the disqualified rebel MLAs, however, would be kept apart for the court to take a call later.

BJP general secretary Arun Singh said the party would go through the court order and decide the next course of action.  

The options before the BJP are: It may wait for the Centre to challenge the High Court order, which turned down President’s rule and allowed the trust vote; or the BJP may go as an aggrieved party before a double bench of the High court or the Supreme Court, seeking a stay of the interim order on the ground that the assembly being placed under suspended animation, they cannot be asked to seek a floor test. 

Under President’s rule, BJP sources said, they have the first right to form government being the single largest party (having 28 MLAs) after disqualification of the nine Congress rebel MLAs, which brought down the strength of the hill state’s ruling party to 27. The total strength of the House is 71, including one nominated MLA.

The BJP may also put forth another scenario by claiming  error in Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal’s decision to pass the finance bill on March 18 through voice vote, ignoring division sought by its leaders in the House on the ground that the Rawat government had lost its majority.
The third move of the BJP may be to take the truth test and prove their majority on the floor of the assembly.
DH News Service

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(Published 29 March 2016, 19:06 IST)

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