<p>Ahead of the crucial floor test on May 10, Congress and BJP are issuing whips to their MLAs as they try to keep their flock together.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The process to issue whips to all the party MLAs for the floor test has been initiated, Congress Chief Whip and former Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh said today.<br /><br />The MLAs are being informed through e-mail, SMS, and letters. They have been instructed to be present in Uttarakhand Assembly on May 10 and vote in favour of the confidence motion, Indira added.<br /><br />"The numbers are favouring Congress and we will win," she claimed.<br /><br />The former minister also said a meeting of the party MLAs will be called prior to the floor test. However, the timing of the meeting will be decided after consulting deposed Chief Minister Harish Rawat.<br /><br />Meanwhile, BJP chief whip in the state Assembly Madan Kaushik said preparations to issue whip to party MLAs have been made, adding a copy of the whip will be served to each legislator at a meeting of party MLAs here tomorrow.<br /><br />In case MLAs fail to attend tomorrow's meeting, whip will be served to them through Collector of the concerned district, Kaushik said.<br /><br />On rebel BJP MLA Bhim Lal Arya, he said the Ghansali legislator will also be issued a whip and he will have to adhere to the party line.<br /><br />He said, "Arya will be issued the whip through the Assembly Speaker if he refuses to receive it".<br /><br />Kaushik had earlier petitioned the Speaker seeking Arya's disqualification for defying party whip. However, Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had, on May 2, rejected BJP's petition.<br /><br />The Supreme Court had yesterday ordered a floor test on May 10 in the state Assembly when Rawat will seek a vote of confidence in which the nine rebel Congress MLAs cannot participate if they continue to remain disqualified at the time of voting.<br /><br />"After the disqualification of the nine MLAs, the effective strength of the House is 62 out which 61 MLAs will participate, barring the Assembly Speaker. The figure to prove a majority in the house now stands at 31," Kunjwal said.<br /><br />Nominated Anglo-Indian member R V Gardner will also participate in the voting.Meanwhile, Uttarakhand High Court today reserved its judgement on the fate of the disqualified rebel Congress MLAs for May 9.<br /><br />At present, BJP has 28 MLAs, Congress 27, BSP two, while there are three independent MLAs and one legislator of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P). Nine MLAs are Congress rebels and one is a BJP rebel. However, Congress enjoys the support of six MLAs of the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF). <br /></p>
<p>Ahead of the crucial floor test on May 10, Congress and BJP are issuing whips to their MLAs as they try to keep their flock together.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The process to issue whips to all the party MLAs for the floor test has been initiated, Congress Chief Whip and former Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh said today.<br /><br />The MLAs are being informed through e-mail, SMS, and letters. They have been instructed to be present in Uttarakhand Assembly on May 10 and vote in favour of the confidence motion, Indira added.<br /><br />"The numbers are favouring Congress and we will win," she claimed.<br /><br />The former minister also said a meeting of the party MLAs will be called prior to the floor test. However, the timing of the meeting will be decided after consulting deposed Chief Minister Harish Rawat.<br /><br />Meanwhile, BJP chief whip in the state Assembly Madan Kaushik said preparations to issue whip to party MLAs have been made, adding a copy of the whip will be served to each legislator at a meeting of party MLAs here tomorrow.<br /><br />In case MLAs fail to attend tomorrow's meeting, whip will be served to them through Collector of the concerned district, Kaushik said.<br /><br />On rebel BJP MLA Bhim Lal Arya, he said the Ghansali legislator will also be issued a whip and he will have to adhere to the party line.<br /><br />He said, "Arya will be issued the whip through the Assembly Speaker if he refuses to receive it".<br /><br />Kaushik had earlier petitioned the Speaker seeking Arya's disqualification for defying party whip. However, Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had, on May 2, rejected BJP's petition.<br /><br />The Supreme Court had yesterday ordered a floor test on May 10 in the state Assembly when Rawat will seek a vote of confidence in which the nine rebel Congress MLAs cannot participate if they continue to remain disqualified at the time of voting.<br /><br />"After the disqualification of the nine MLAs, the effective strength of the House is 62 out which 61 MLAs will participate, barring the Assembly Speaker. The figure to prove a majority in the house now stands at 31," Kunjwal said.<br /><br />Nominated Anglo-Indian member R V Gardner will also participate in the voting.Meanwhile, Uttarakhand High Court today reserved its judgement on the fate of the disqualified rebel Congress MLAs for May 9.<br /><br />At present, BJP has 28 MLAs, Congress 27, BSP two, while there are three independent MLAs and one legislator of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P). Nine MLAs are Congress rebels and one is a BJP rebel. However, Congress enjoys the support of six MLAs of the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF). <br /></p>