Kamal Nath resigns ahead of floor test says he doesn't believe in horse trading

• "I have decided to give my resignation to the Governor today. I do not believe in horse trading. In believe in a moral politics," Nath told media.
  
• There was no indication of a floor test in the MP assembly business list for Saturday’s sitting till midnight.
  
• In a frantic effort to pull off a near-impossible win in Friday’s floor test, the Congress held three meetings in quick succession till 10.45 pm.
  
• In the floor test, the chief minister will move a vote of confidence and prove that he has the majority support in the assembly.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath resigned from his position ahead of a floor test this afternoon.

"I have decided to give my resignation to the Governor today. I do not believe in horse trading. In believe in a moral politics," Nath told media.

After the Madhya Pradesh assembly Speaker Narmada Prasad Prajapati accepted the resignations of the 16 legislators holed up in Bengaluru, it became clear that Kamal Nath government will resign on Friday (March 20).

The MP Assembly Secretariat had kept the proposal for the special session in compliance with the Supreme Court directive which ordered a floor test at 2 pm on Friday (March 20).

Last-ditch effort

In a frantic effort to pull off a near-impossible win in Friday’s floor test, the Congress held three meetings in quick succession till 10.45 p.m yesterday (March 19).

The Speaker’s approval for the proposal finally came shortly after Thursday midnight.

Nath also announced his decision to address a press conference at noon on Friday. This was a clear indication of an impending resignation during the press conference.

After the meeting at the Chief Minister’s house, the entire legislature party minus the 16 MLAs holed up in Bengaluru went into another huddle at state cabinet minister Sajjan Singh Verma’s house to see if a last-ditch effort could be made to survive.

The legal eagles in the party suggested filing a curative petition on Friday before the Supreme Court. Even that seemed unlikely when the Speaker accepted the resignation of MLAs.

What will happen next?

“The session of the MP Assembly that has been deferred shall be reconvened on March 20. A single agenda for the assembly — to hold a floor test on March 20 by show of hands,” the court order said.

The governor of Madhya Pradesh Lalji Tandon earlier said that the voting during the floor test should only be conducted by raising hands and no other means.

The proceedings of the test will be video graphed and telecasted live. While the BJP demanded an immediate floor test, the Congress government, presently ruling the state, said that the test should be postponed till the bypolls are concluded.


Now the strength of the house has been reduced to 206 and The BJP with a strength of 107 has the numbers to stake the claim for formation of the government. The Congress numbers have been reduced to 92. There are four independents and two BSP and one SP member in the house. They could switch loyalty to the BJP.

How is a floor test conducted?

When a floor test is called for in the assembly of a state, the chief minister will move a vote of confidence and prove that he has the majority support. If the floor test fails, the chief minister will have to resign. The idea of a floor test is incorporated in the Constitution of India to ensure transparency in the constitutional process.

Last year, the Karnataka government underwent a floor test where the government led by Janata Party (Secular)’s HD Kumaraswamy was toppled by BJP led B S Yediyurappa. However, Maharashtra’s chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of BJP resigned ahead of a floor test in December last year, conceding to Shiv Sena.

(with inputs from IANS)
SEE ALSO: What is a floor test and how will it affect the government of Madhya Pradesh today?