New Delhi: The political crisis in Uttarakhand took a new turn late on Saturday night with the Centre mulling imposition of President's Rule ahead of Monday's trust vote for Congress chief minister Harish Rawat amid reports that the state Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has disqualified nine rebel Congress MLAs which will dramatically alter the arithmetic of the assembly.
With the MLAs being disqualified, they cease to be members of the state Assembly, reducing its effective strength from 70 to 61, which may make it easier for chief minister Harish Rawat to scrape through Monday’s floor test with 27 MLAs of the Congress and six of ruling ally Progressive Democratic Front.
The Congress party had sought the disqualification of sacked minister Harak Singh Rawat and former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and seven other MLAs on the ground they have voluntarily given up membership of the Congress by joining the BJP MLAs by shouting anti-government slogans in the Assembly and thus attract the provisions of the anti-defection law.
Read: Uttarakhand Speaker serves notice to 9 rebel Congress MLAs
The Congress, which has a strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly, faces revolt by nine MLAs, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who are said to have voted against the government in the financial business last week.
The Union Cabinet met soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from Assam. Ahead of the meeting, a BJP delegation met President Pranab Mukherjee and demanded President’s Rule in the state, saying chief minister Rawat has no right to continue after a sting operation purportedly showed him bargaining with rebel party MLAs to win their support ahead of floor test on March 28.
Read: PM Modi holds meet on Uttarakhand; President’s Rule an option
The rebel Congress MLAs on Saturday alleged they were offered bribe by the CM for support during the floor test and released a video of a “sting” operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it “fake”.
The Congress alleged the “dirty tricks department” of BJP president Amit Shah was at work, while the saffron outfit demanded “immediate dismissal” of the Rawat government.
