MP Crisis: SC Orders Speaker To Hold Floor Test Tomorrow

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Madhya Pradesh assembly Speaker to conduct a floor test on Friday to determine the strength of the ruling party. The apex court also said that the floor test should be video graphed. The Supreme Court directed that the floor test should be concluded by 5 PM on Friday and that the trust vote would be conducted by a show of hands.

The Court gave its order in a petition filed by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and nine other MLAs claiming that the Kamal Nath government was in a minority. The petitioners sought an order from the apex court to the Speaker of the assembly for a floor test to be conducted.

The Supreme Court in its order said that if the rebel MLAs want to come security should be provided by the Karnataka DGP.

The Supreme Court's verdict would now bring this political drama unfolding in Madhya Pradesh, to its logical end. The Congress and the BJP have locked horns in the state with each party claiming the majority over the past few days.

The Madhya Pradesh chief minister accused the BJP of horse-trading and claimed that his government enjoyed a majority. He said that the BJP kept rebel MLAs of the Congress in a Bengaluru hotel in captivity and that they were forced to record videos in which they claimed that they were not forced to stay there by anyone.

The Madhya Pradesh assembly was convened on Monday only to be deferred by the speaker to March 26 citing the outbreak of coronavirus across the country. The Governor wrote to the chief minister on two occasions directing him to seek a floor test.