The political landscape of Haryana seems to waver as Former Harana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has demanded a floor test after three independent MLAs withdrew their support from the BJP govt. led by chief minister Nayab Singh Saini. He also demanded the imposition of president’s rule in the state.
Mr. Chautala writes to the governor, ‘I urge you to direct the appropriate authority to immediately call for a floor test to determine majority of government’.
But can the Opposition move a no-trust motion against the Saini government? Let’s find out
Former Haryana Deputy CM and JJP JJP leader Dushyant Chautala writes a letter to Governor Bandaru Dattatreya seeking urgent action regarding the present political situation in the state.
In his letter, he urges the Governor to call for Floor Test immediately to make the… pic.twitter.com/LziU6LVqN4
— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2024
In his letter to the Haryana governor on Wednesday (8 May), Chautala said the Saini government no longer enjoys a majority.
On Wednesday, the ex-Haryana deputy CM said that he would support the Congress “from outside” if the Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda takes steps to topple the BJP government.
Speaking to Indian Express, Chautala said, “He (Congress’ Hooda) has to approach the Governor and move forward. As part of the Opposition, we’ll stand with them. Today, this government does not have a majority, which is why the CM should resign. We shall also be writing to the Governor and do our bit, but Bhupinder Hooda has to initiate it. We’ll be part of a collective Opposition and vote against the present government.
Reacting to Chautala’s statement, former Haryana CM Hooda told Indian Express, “He is saying these things after staying in the BJP-led government for four-and-a-half years. If he isn’t the BJP’s B-Team, he should meet the Governor and parade his 10 MLAs, and then I shall send ours to the Raj Bhavan, led by MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra.”
What is Congress movement?
A Congress leader named Aftab Ahmed, who is also the deputy leader of the opposition in the Haryana Assembly, wants to meet with the governor on May 10th. He wants to talk about what’s happening in the state’s politics.
The Congress party is asking the Chief Minister, Saini, to resign because they think it’s the right thing to do. They also want to have elections sooner than planned.
During a press conference in Rohtak, LoP Hooda, who is said to have caused this situation, and Udai Bhan, the head of the Congress party in Haryana, were there. Three members of the legislative assembly – Sombir Sangwan from Dadri, Randhir Gollen from Pundri, and Dharampal Gonder from Nilokheri – said they no longer support the BJP.
VIDEO | “In Haryana, the government is not in majority. They should resign, impose President’s rule here and let the people decide what they want through elections. There’s a wave going on in favour of Congress in the state,” says former Haryana CM and Congress leader Bhupinder S… pic.twitter.com/aWkEDGT8Lo
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2024
What is BJP’s movement?
BJP has said ‘nothing to worry about’.
Former Haryana CM ML Khattar has claimed many MLAs are in touch with the BJP and there is “nothing to worry about”.
“The Congress and JJP shouldn’t worry about us. Instead, they should first set their own houses in order. There is no threat to our government. It will continue to serve the people. We shall win an absolute majority in the next Assembly elections, so that such a situation never arises again,” he was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
CM Saini has expressed confidence that his government will win the no-trust vote.
VIDEO | “Where was Dushyant Chautala when the Special Session of the Assembly was called? He didn’t come back then. We will call the Session and will win the trust vote,” says Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini (@NayabSainiBJP) on Dushyant Chautala seeking trust vote in letter to… pic.twitter.com/FD1JS4cBog
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2024
CM Saini in the video can be seen mocking Dushyant Chautala for imagining winning floor test just only by writing a letter to the governor.
In the Haryana Assembly, which has 90 members, the BJP holds 40 seats, two shy of the majority. Currently, there are 88 members in the House following the resignations of Khattar and another Independent MLA who stepped down to run for the Lok Sabha elections.
After three Independent MLAs switched sides on Tuesday, the Saini government now has the backing of 43 MLAs — 40 from the BJP, two Independents, and one from the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP).
The Congress party has 30 legislators and support from three Independents. The JJP holds 10 MLAs, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has one. To reach the majority mark of 45, the Congress would require all the JJP MLAs’ support, along with the single MLAs from HLP and INLD.
However, the allegiance of four JJP MLAs might move towards the BJP, which claims their support. According to an NDTV report, four MLAs from Chautala’s party met former CM Khattar on Thursday afternoon at the residence of Minister of State Mahipal Dhanda in Panipat.
Can there be floor-test possible in Haryana?
The answer is no, because According to the rules, you can’t propose a no-confidence vote within six months of the last one.
In March, there was a floor test after Khattar left his position as CM and Saini took over. Saini won the trust vote the day after becoming Haryana’s CM on March 12th.
So right now, he can’t face another no-confidence vote for six months because of that win.