<p>Worldwide fear of the coronavirus pandemic could get reprieve to the crisis-ridden Kamal Nath government as assembly speaker N P Prajapati was non-committal on convening the scheduled budget session of the assembly from Monday, citing MLAs health as ‘most important issue’, while Governor Lalji Tandon has unambiguously directed the chief minister to hold floor test on March 16 itself.</p>.<p>Talking to media, the Speaker dismissed the question on floor test as hypothetical, adding he would disclose his decision on Monday.</p>.<p>However, the BJP and Congress have braced up for possible trust vote with their chief whips issuing whips to respective MLAs. The Congress MLAs, numbering 88, returned from Jaipur and are lodged in a five-star hotel in Bhopal where they underwent check-up for coronavirus. Suspense remained on the possible timing of the return of 106 BJP MLAs, staying in a Gurugram hotel for four days. They are likely to return late Sunday night. Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called on the party MLAs.</p>.<p>After nearly a 90-minute meeting with the MLAs, Chouhan told media that the government is constitutionally bound to abide by the Governor’s directive to hold the test on Monday and the speculations about deferment of the trust vote on the account of coronavirus fear were meaningless. </p>.<p>The 22 rebel MLAs staying in Bengaluru since Tuesday are likely to return Bhopal on Monday morning and could proceed to the assembly straight from the airport as per their demand.</p>.<p>Six of them, all ministers, have been disqualified by the Speaker while the decision is pending on the resignation of the remaining 16. They issued a joint statement on Sunday, pleading the Speaker to accept their resignation immediately.</p>.<p>The coronavirus scare dominated the discourse on the fate of the government. Echoing the Speaker’s concern for the MLAs’ health, many ministers raised the issue in the cabinet meeting on Sunday and demanded that the BJP’s MLAs, as well as the rebels, must be medically checked up when they land in Bhopal from Gurugram and Bengaluru respectively. </p>.<p>In the 230-strong assembly, the Congress strength will reduce to 99 if the resignations of the 22 Scindia supporters are accepted. This will shrink the effective strength of the house to 206 and the necessary number for the majority will be 104. The BJP has 106 MLAs. Two seats are vacant due to death of a BJP and a Congress MLA each. </p>
<p>Worldwide fear of the coronavirus pandemic could get reprieve to the crisis-ridden Kamal Nath government as assembly speaker N P Prajapati was non-committal on convening the scheduled budget session of the assembly from Monday, citing MLAs health as ‘most important issue’, while Governor Lalji Tandon has unambiguously directed the chief minister to hold floor test on March 16 itself.</p>.<p>Talking to media, the Speaker dismissed the question on floor test as hypothetical, adding he would disclose his decision on Monday.</p>.<p>However, the BJP and Congress have braced up for possible trust vote with their chief whips issuing whips to respective MLAs. The Congress MLAs, numbering 88, returned from Jaipur and are lodged in a five-star hotel in Bhopal where they underwent check-up for coronavirus. Suspense remained on the possible timing of the return of 106 BJP MLAs, staying in a Gurugram hotel for four days. They are likely to return late Sunday night. Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called on the party MLAs.</p>.<p>After nearly a 90-minute meeting with the MLAs, Chouhan told media that the government is constitutionally bound to abide by the Governor’s directive to hold the test on Monday and the speculations about deferment of the trust vote on the account of coronavirus fear were meaningless. </p>.<p>The 22 rebel MLAs staying in Bengaluru since Tuesday are likely to return Bhopal on Monday morning and could proceed to the assembly straight from the airport as per their demand.</p>.<p>Six of them, all ministers, have been disqualified by the Speaker while the decision is pending on the resignation of the remaining 16. They issued a joint statement on Sunday, pleading the Speaker to accept their resignation immediately.</p>.<p>The coronavirus scare dominated the discourse on the fate of the government. Echoing the Speaker’s concern for the MLAs’ health, many ministers raised the issue in the cabinet meeting on Sunday and demanded that the BJP’s MLAs, as well as the rebels, must be medically checked up when they land in Bhopal from Gurugram and Bengaluru respectively. </p>.<p>In the 230-strong assembly, the Congress strength will reduce to 99 if the resignations of the 22 Scindia supporters are accepted. This will shrink the effective strength of the house to 206 and the necessary number for the majority will be 104. The BJP has 106 MLAs. Two seats are vacant due to death of a BJP and a Congress MLA each. </p>
