MP Governor asks Speaker to conduct floor test on Monday

Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon has asked the Assembly Speaker Narmada Prasad Prajapati to conduct the floor test on Monday (March 16), days after 22 Congress MLAs resigned from pushing the Kamal Nath’s 15-month-old government on the brink of collapse.

Governor Lalji Tandon also directed Chief Minister Kamal Nath to seek a trust vote in the Assembly soon after his address on March 16. A letter from the governor was sent to the chief minister in this regard around midnight.

“Under Article 174 and 175(2) of the Constitution, I am empowered to direct that MP Assembly session will begin on March 16 at 11 am with my address. Soon after that the only work to be done is voting on trust vote,” the governor said in the letter.

In view of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly floor test, the Congress MLAs will depart to Bhopal from Jaipur in Rajasthan on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, the Congress has decided to approach the Supreme Court. The Madhya Pradesh Congress has issued a whip to all its MLAs asking them to be present in the house from March 16 to April 13 during the Assembly session and vote in favour of the government during the floor test.

The Kamal Nath government in the state is teetering after its 22 MLAs, supporters of Jyotiraditya Scindia who quit the Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), resigned. These six MLAs were sacked from the Kamal Nath Government after they, along with 16 other legislators, resigned in support of Jyotiraditya Scindia.

With this, the strength of the house is down to 222, with the majority mark 112. Before the rebellion early this week, the Congress’s tally was 114. It also had the support of four Independent MLAs, two legislators from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and one from the Samajwadi Party (SP).