Coronavirus has failed to put a halt on Indian politics. Scindia’s exit from Congress has compelled the Kamal Nath government to prove majority in the MP Legislative Assembly. The exit-spree continued as 5 Gujarat MLAs resigned ahead of Rajya Sabha polls.
Crux of the Matter
MP To Go for Floor Test Madhya Pradesh’s political upheaval enters its final stage as Governor Lalji Tandon orders floor tests to be conducted by tomorrow. After CM Kamal Nath met the state Governor Lalji Tandon, the former said that whether or not the floor test will be conducted will depend on the House Speaker NP Prajapati.
The governor expected me to meet him. A floor test will be decided by the speaker. The speaker will discharge his duties and I will do mine. I have already written to the governor earlier that I am ready for a floor test but the MLAs who are captive should be freed. I am confident about the government’s majority. – Kamal Nath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister
Top Congress leader Jyotindraditya Scindia has resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). Along with him, 22 other MLAs have submitted their resignation to the Speaker. Only 6 resignations have been accepted until now. BJP claims that the Kamal Nath-led government does not have a majority in the house. It is still unknown whether the MLAs who have submitted their resignation will appear for the assembly session. In a video, they said they had asked the Governor for CRPF security or government-backed security as the state’s law and order situation seemed uncertain.
Horse-trading for RS Seats Begins in Model State As the Rajya Sabha elections for 55 seats draw near, the ruling party aims to improve its tally in the Upper House. Ahead of the polls, horse-trading has begun and 5 Gujarat Congress MLAs have submitted their resignation to the state Speaker Rajendra Trivedi.
Pravin Maru, Somabhai K Patel, J V Kakadia, Pradyumansinh Jadeja, and Mangal Gavit have resigned from the party, reducing the party’s strength in the 182-member assembly to 68. With 74 seats (73 Congress’ and Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani’s), Congress had just enough numbers to ensure two RS seats. In 2017 RS elections, nearly a dozen Congress MLAs were poached and BJP won 3 Rajya Sabha seats out of 4. This time the ruling party that does not have enough numbers to secure RS seats, may have a chance to win 3 seats again.
Mounting Development in the Valley Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament assured that the demography of Jammu and Kashmir will not get altered. He also said that the valley will see a visible normalization in the coming three-four months. He plans to achieve it with steps like restoration of the Internet, relaxation in curfew, and release of people held in preventive detention. Meanwhile, 4 terrorists were encountered by Security Forces in the Anantnag district of south Kashmir. Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and Special Operations Group (SOG) carried out a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) after they received a tip on the presence of militants in the area. 3 Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT) terrorists and a Hizbul Mujahideen commander called Tariq Ahmed were killed during the encounter. To restore the situation in the Valley, Union Ministry of Home Affairs appointed a fourth advisor to the Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu. Baseer Ahmed Khan, the newly appointed Advisor to the Lt Governor, will work along with CRPF DG Rajiv Bhatnagar, IPS Farooq Khan, and IAS K. K. Sharma.
Curiopedia
Rajya Sabha (Council of States) or the upper house is a permanent body not subject to dissolution. One-third of the members retire every second year and are replaced by newly elected members. Each member is elected for a term of six years. Its members are indirectly elected by members of the legislative bodies of the states. The Rajya Sabha can have a maximum of 250 members. It currently has a sanctioned strength of 245 members, of which 233 are elected from States and Union Territories and 12 are nominated by the President. The number of members from a state depends on its population. The minimum age for a person to become a member of Rajya Sabha is 30 years. More Info
A Floor Test is a constitutional mechanism by which a Chief Minister of the State is asked by the Governor to prove the majority in the Legislative Assembly. It means that the Chief Minister has to prove whether he has the confidence of the majority of the members. The Chief Minister needs to step down in case she is unable to prove a majority. More Info
Curated Coverage
Economic Times – MP Govt News LIVE: Governor Tandon asks CM Kamal Nath to take floor test tomorrow
Hindustan Times – Madhya Pradesh floor test: All eyes on Speaker as Congress, BJP point to rule book
India Today – Trouble mounts for Congress as 5 Gujarat MLAs resign ahead of Rajya Sabha election
Times of India – BJP eyes 3 Gujarat Rajya Sabha seats as 4 Congress MLAs quit
Economic Times – Jammu & Kashmir demography will not be changed, Amit Shah tells Altaf Bukhari
India Today – 4 terrorists killed in encounter with forces in J&K’s Anantnag
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