Manipur Assembly Floor Test: The Chief Minister is widely expected to win the vote of confidence. (File)
Leaders of the BJP and the Congress are on their toes as legislators in Manipur will vote on a confidence motion to be moved by Chief Minister N Biren Singh during a special one-day session of the Assembly on Monday. The trust vote will decide the fate of the BJP-led coalition government in the state.
The Chief Minister is widely expected to win the vote of confidence which was moved after the assembly secretariat rejected the motion of no-confidence requested by the main opposition Congress.
The effective strength of the Manipur assembly is 53, including Speaker Y Khemchand Singh, following the disqualification of four members, including former minister Th Shyamkumar and the resignation of three BJP MLAs. The disqualification of TMC MLA T Robindro was stayed by the Manipur High Court.
While the opposition Congress has 24 MLAs, the ruling BJP-led coalition has 29 members, including the speaker, 18 from BJP, four each from NPP and NPF, one each from the Trinamool Congress, the Lok Janshakti and Independent Md Asabuddin of Jiribam.
Out of 24 Congress MLAs, a dozen did not attend a crucial party meeting on Sunday.
During Rajya Sabha polls, two congress MLAs had crossvoted.
The main opposition Congress has issued a whip to its members to attend the assembly on Monday and vote following the party line.
"All the members of Congress Legislature Party, Manipur are hereby informed that a Three-Lined Whip is issued from the office of the Whip of Congress Legislature Party under the direction of the President, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) that all the members are to attend the 11th Session of the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly convening on 10th August, 2020 (Monday) from 11:00 am, till the end of the said session and remain in the House during discussion and voting," the notice, issued by the chief whip of the party in Manipur legislative assembly from Congress Govindas Konthoujam, said.
The party has also asked its MLAs to vote in line with the decision made by the Congress Legislature Party led by former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.
On July 28, the Congress had filed a motion of no-confidence against the ruling BJP government. The opposition has pitched for a floor test to be conducted during the one-day assembly session on Monday.
This after a high political drama for past two months in the state.
N Biren Singh's government had plunged into a crisis after nine members of the BJP-led coalition, including four ministers of the National People's Party (NPP), had walked out of the alliance to join the Congress-led coalition - Secular Progressive Front.
However, after a meeting with BJP national leaders and NPP chief and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, the rebel NPP legislators returned to the coalition while three BJP MLAs resigned from the assembly and one Trinamool MLA was disqualified.
The opposition will also move a contempt of court against Speaker Yumnam Khemchand over the disqualification of four Congress MLAs on the day of the Rajya Sabha elections on June 19.
The BJP had won the Rajya Sabha elections with a majority in the 60-member assembly that was diminished to 52 after eight legislators were disqualified.