Harish Rawat has been hit with new accusations of bribery just before he seeks a vote of confidence in the Uttarakhand assembly.
Highlights
- Sacked CM Harish Rawat now has to prove majority with only 31 lawmakers
- On Sunday, Harish Rawat was hit by bribery allegations in a new sting
- Sting allegedly shows his aide discussing bribes offered to rebel MLAs
It's advantage Harish Rawat with the Supreme Court confirming that nine Congress dissidents will not participate in the trust vote that the Congress leader will seek on the Uttarakhand assembly tomorrow.
Here are the 10 latest developments:
Their absence will bring the effective strength of the 70-member House down to 61, which means that Harish Rawat - displaced as chief minister when the Centre placed the state under President's Rule - will now have to show the support of only 31 lawmakers.
The nine Congress rebel lawmakers were disqualified by the Uttarakhand Speaker in March. They had moved the Supreme Court today after the state High Court refused to reverse the Speaker's decision. The Supreme Court will continue hearing their plea on May 12.
At 11 tomorrow, President's Rule will be suspended for two hours in Uttarakhand, to allow Harish Rawat to seek a vote of confidence. Mr Rawat claims he has the support of 34 lawmakers and will sail through.
Rebel lawmaker and former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna of the Congress has demanded fresh elections, virtually admitting that Mr Rawat has the upper hand when he said, "Just a couple of seats can decide the trust vote. The Governor should dissolve the House.
The Supreme Court has appointed a senior bureaucrat as an observer and the trust vote will also be videographed.
Mr Rawat has been accused in sting videos of trying to bribe legislators, both rebels and his partymen, to support him. He sent word to the CBI today that he cannot answer the agency's summons in connection with one of the videos till the trust vote had ended.
Mr Rawat has denounced both stings as doctored and accuses the BJP of blackmail. "Harish Rawat volunteers himself for a narco test. But the BJP leaders should also take it," Mr Rawat told reporters.
"Can anything be more ridiculous and shameful than a former chief minister offering bribes to satisfy his own MLAs? This is murder of democracy," said Bhagat Singh Koshiyari of the BJP, which has threatened to move court.
Harish Rawat was chief minister of Uttarakhand till the BJP-led Centre imposed President's Rule in the state on March 27. The Centre says Harish Rawat lost his majority when nine Congress dissidents voted against his government's annual budget on March 18.
The Uttarakhand High Court had indicted the Centre for wrongly declaring President's Rule in a heavy-handed attempt to remove an opposition government; the Centre has challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court.
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