Arunachal Chief Minister Nabam Tuki said that he would plead for more time as he plans to travel to Delhi
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, who was reinstated on Wednesday by the top court's order, will meet the Governor today to seek more time to carry out the floor test.
The officiating Arunachal Pradesh Governor, Tathagata Ray, asked Mr Tuki to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly on Saturday.
But sources close to Mr Tuki told NDTV that he would plead for more time as the chief minister plans to travel to Delhi on Saturday to "attend a meeting of the inter-state council convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
While Mr Tuki's proposed Delhi visit may be the "official" reason to seek a postponement, it seems to be a clear attempt to shore up his numbers, especially, after rebel Congress leader Kalikho Pul claimed to have the support of 43 lawmakers in the 60-member strong Arunachal Pradesh assembly.
On Thursday, Mr Pul, who was removed from the post of Arunachal chief minister a day earlier by a Supreme Court order, held a press conference in Guwahati along with 41 lawmakers including 11 lawmakers of the BJP.
"I congratulate Shri Tuki for winning the legal battle in the court and I wish him success on the floor," said Mr Pul at the press conference and added, "we are sure of our numbers and we are sure of defeating Tuki on the floor of the House."
And the BJP has entrusted Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress rebel-turned-BJP minister in Assam, to ensure Mr Pul's victory.
Mr Sharma told NDTV that "Tuki may have won the legal battle but doesn't have the numbers to win the trust vote."
Mr Sharma, who's now known to be a bitter critic of Rahul Gandhi, argued that the "Congress euphoria would be a short lived one."
"The Honorable Supreme Court had pointed out some deficiency in procedure. We will rectify it but can the Congress depend on a court order. The whole problem is that since Rahul Gandhi became vice president, people don't want to stay in the Congress," said Mr Sharma.
As both sides prepare their next round of strategy, rebel Congress and BJP MLAs are staying together in luxury Guwahati hotel to ensure that their numbers don't alter overnight.