Shivraj-led BJP govt passes MP floor test

In the absence of Congress lawmakers, the newly elected CM won the confidence motion unanimously

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday won a confidence vote in absence of opposition Congress lawmakers in the state assembly a day after he was sworn in.

Two of the four Independent, lone Samajwadi Party (SP) and two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) lawmakers backed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Chouhan, 61, was sworn in as the chief minister for the fourth term on Monday days after the Kamal Nath-led government fell last week following the resignation of 22 Congress lawmakers.

Chouhan said his government’s immediate goal was to take all possible measures to protect the lives of people in the state amid the coronavirus pandemic. “That is why there are 36 districts under lockdown and curfew has been clamped on two districts [to check the spread of the pandemic]. People in these districts have to suffer but these measures are badly required to protect lives of people,” said Chouhan.

The BJP has 107 while the Congress 92 lawmakers in the state assembly, which has an effective strength of 206 after the resignation of the 22. Two assembly seats were already vacant. The majority mark in the House is 104. As the special session of the state assembly for the vote began, Chouhan moved a one-line proposal to seek the trust of the House. The BJP’S 107 and five Independent, SP and BSP lawmakers endorsed his government through a voice vote.

Senior BJP lawmaker Jagdish Devda, one of the members of the speaker’s panel, chaired the session.

Nath said many Congress lawmakers were not intimated about the session in time. “However, seeking the trust vote by the government was merely a formality. I had a discussion with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. As Opposition, we will support the government on the issues of development...,” he said after calling on Chouhan later in the day.

Nath submitted his resignation to governor Lalji Tandon on Friday last two hours before a floor test in the state assembly on the directions of the Supreme Court that his government looked was set to lose.

The resignation of Nath, who assumed office on December 17, 2018, as the 18th chief minister of the state, brought to an end his troubled 15-month tenure. The Congress in late 2018 dislodged the BJP, which had ruled Madhya Pradesh for 15 years, from power. In the assembly records, the Congress government was reduced to a minority on Thursday night when the speaker of the state assembly, NP Prajapati, accepted the resignation of 16 rebel Congress lawmakers. The resignations were accepted hours after the Supreme Court asked the speaker to conduct a floor test by 5 pm on Friday.

Earlier, the speaker accepted the resignations of six lawmakers who were ministers. All 22 lawmakers stayed together in a Bengaluru resort. The Congress accused the BJP of holding these lawmakers captive.

Nath’s resignation was preceded by weeks of political drama in Gurugram and Bengaluru and a legal battle in the Supreme Court. On the night of March 3, 10 lawmakers, including seven from the Congress, left Bhopal for Delhi. Eight of them proceeded to Gurugram and four to Bengaluru from there. But over the next few days, Congress leaders led by Digvijaya Singh managed to convince the eight in Gurugram to return. But on March 8, another group of 19 Congress lawmakers went incommunicado. They were later found staying in the Bengaluru resort along with three lawmakers who were already there. They refused to meet Congress leaders, including Singh.

CHIEF SECY , RAJGARH COLLECTOR SHIFTED

Meanwhile, Rajgarh collector Nidhi Nivedita, who allegedly hit a BJP worker during a pro-caa rally on January 19 this year, was transferred by the state government on Tuesday evening.

The newly formed Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in the state also removed the chief secretary who had taken charge only nine days ago.

Reddy was replaced by Iqbal Singh Bains, a 1985 batch IAS officer barely hours after Chouhan took over as the CM.

Bains has been principal secretary to Chouhan during the latter’s previous term.