MP Floor Test: BJP-Congress Await SC Verdict

The BJP and Congress await the Supreme Court verdict likely to be delivered on Thursday, on the floor test in Madhya Pradesh assembly. The apex court will resume hearing in the case in the petition filed by BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chauhan and nine other MLAs claiming that the Kamal Nath government was in a minority and therefore, demanded a floor test to be directed by the apex court.

The Supreme Court took up hearing in the case on Wednesday, but the arguments remained inconclusive. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for chief Minister Kamal Nath while Dr AM Singhvi appeared for the MP assembly Speaker. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi is the counsel for the BJP leaders.

Rohatgi told the court that the MLAs in question were not being held captive and were staying in the Bangalore hotel of their own free will. He added that if required, all 16 of them would be produced in the chambers of the judges or the registrar general of the Karnataka High Court could go to the hotel and video graph his conversation with them and submit a report to the Supreme Court. The Bench rejected both the proposals.

Kapil Sibal told the bench that chief Minister Kamal Nath was being denied access to his party MLAs. The counsel for BJP leaders responded saying that the rebel MLAs do not wish to meet him. The court then told Sibal that this was not a case where the custody of the child had to be decided.

The Supreme Court also questioned the speakers delay in accepting the resignation of all the MLAs who sent them. However, it also wanted to satisfy itself that they had done so voluntarily and of their own free accord. The Court is said to have pointed out that it was bound by constitutionality and could not rely on television reports.

The unravelling of the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh and the future of the Kamal Nath government hinges on the Supreme Court verdict on the floor test.