Harish Rawat has to prove his majority on Monday. (File Photo)
Highlights
- Chief Minister Harish Rawat met Speaker late on Saturday.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an emergency cabinet meeting.
- BJP has demanded President's Rule in the state.
Nine Congress legislators from Uttarakhand who had rebelled against Chief Minister Harish Rawat were disqualified by the Speaker late on Saturday. The order meant that Mr Rawat is likely to sail through a trust vote due on Monday.
Here are the 10 latest developments in this story:
The nine legislators were disqualified by Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, who met the Chief Minister at his residence late night, for "indulging in anti-party activities". The BJP called the disqualification of the legislators "unconstitutional".
The dramatic order came just as an emergency meeting, called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take stock of the situation in Uttarakhand, concluded in New Delhi.
Uttarakhand governor KK Paul sent a report to the Centre on the crisis in the state, saying the political situation was "very volatile". Prohibitory orders have been issued across the state.
The Congress said Uttarakhand was "next on BJP's list" after Arunachal Pradesh. "This government wants to harm the democratic nature of the country's government," Congress leader Ambika Soni said.
Earlier in the day, the rebel Congress legislators released a sting video of Chief Minister Rawat and alleged that he is indulging in horse-trading to save his government.
The video purportedly showed him bargaining with rebel party lawmakers to win their support ahead of floor test on Monday.
Chief minister Harish Rawat rubbished the charges, accused the journalist who conducted the sting, of conniving with Opposition parties to "destablise his government and bring a bad name to the state".
Reacting to the video, the BJP demanded President's Rule in the state, saying Chief Minister Rawat has no right to continue. A delegation from the party also met President Pranab Mukerjee to make their demand.
Nine Congress legislators had rebelled against the chief minister earlier this month when they sought a vote division on the floor of the house. The speaker had rejected the demand.
Before the crisis, the Congress had 36 legislators in the 70-member Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while the opposition BJP has 28 legislators.
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