Maharashtra Assembly floor test to be conducted tomorrow: Supreme Court

The Supreme today ordered for a floor test to be held on Wednesday in Maharashtra assembly. The floor test will be concluded by 5pm and will be conducted by Protem Speaker after he administers oath to MLAs.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a floor test on November 27 to determine the strength of the BJP-led Maharashtra government, which an opposition alliance says does not command majority support.

The floor test will have to be held by 5 pm, and there will be no secret ballot. A pro-tem speaker will swear in the newly-elected lawmakers.

The court said a detailed hearing on constitutional issues would be held after six weeks.

The Supreme Court’s decision will be seen as a win for the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress, the three members of the opposition alliance.

“Satyameva jayate,” tweeted Nawab Malik, an NCP, leader, minutes after the news broke. “The BJP’s game is over,” he said.

On Saturday, India woke up to the news that a BJP-led government had been sworn in in Maharashtra, where the three rival parties had been working for days to form a governing alliance.

Not only was Devendra Fadnavis back as chief minister, but NCP leader Ajit Pawar stunned nearly everyone by joining the BJP leader as his deputy.

The alliance has responded not only by going to the Supreme Court, but also by parading its MLAs (it said there were 162, more than it needs to form a government) at a plush hotel in Mumbai on Monday.