Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Saturday. (File)
The Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra has to prove majority by tomorrow, the Supreme Court ruled this morning on a petition challenging the surprise government formation by the BJP in the state. The court has ordered a trust vote "within 24 hours". The Maharashtra floor test has been ordered after the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-Congress alliance petitioned the court against the manner in which BJP's Devendra Fadnavis took power on Saturday morning at a quiet oath ceremony. The alliance called the BJP government "illegal", demanding an immediate floor test.
Here is your five-point cheat sheet on Maharashtra floor test:
Floor test to be conducted by tomorrow: A three-judge bench said today that that the floor test has to be conducted by tomorrow after all the members of Maharashtra assembly are sworn in by 5 pm.
Pro-tem speaker to be appointed: The trust vote will be presided over by a pro-tem or interim Speaker. The top court has directed Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to ensure that all the elected members of the house are sworn in before the floor test, including the interim speaker. The role of the pro-tem speaker assumes much more importance now.
MLAs to take oath by 5 pm: The top has directed Maharashtra Governor to ensure that the entire exercise of electing all the members of the House is completed by 5 pm.
Live telecast of floor test: A bench comprising Justices N V Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna also said the entire proceedings would be telecast live.
No secret ballots: Voting in the assembly shall not be on the basis of secret ballot, the top court said.
Post a comment