MP Floor Test: SC Postpones Hearing To Tomorrow, Issues Notices

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Madhya Pradesh government, the Congress party and the assembly speaker on the petition of the BJP demanding a floor test in the house. Lawyer for the BJP, Mukul Rohatgi told media that the Congress and the Madhya Pradesh Government did not appear before the apex court.

The Supreme Court therefore deferred the hearing in the case to Wednesday and issued notices to the three parties accordingly.

Interestingly, the rebel MLAs have also approached the Supreme Court in the case on Tuesday, demanding a show of strength by the Kamal Nath government. At a media conference held earlier in the day in Bengaluru, the rebel MLAs of the Congress claimed that they were not under captivity.

Chief Minister Kamal Nath and other Congress leaders had accused the BJP of 'kidnapping' party MLAs. The chief minister had in fact, written to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah in this regard and demanded that the captive MLAs be released.

The MP Governor Lalji Tandon wrote to Kamal Nath on Sunday directing him to hold a floor test on Monday after his gubernatorial address. However, after the governor completed his brief speech, speaker NP Prajapati adjourned the house to March 26 citing the nationwide COVID-19 outbreak.

Former chief minister of MP and Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh assembly, Shivraj Singh Chouhan subsequently met the Governor along with other BJP MLAs. Governor Tandon later wrote another letter to the Madhya Pradesh chief minister on Monday, asking him to undergo a floor test in the assembly on Tuesday. The Governor added that if floor test was not held, it would be considered that Kamal Nath did not enjoy majority in the House.