MP political crisis: BJP moves Supreme Court after Speaker adjourns the assembly

• Speaker N P Prajapati of Madhya Pradesh Assembly adjourned the assembly till March 26.
  
• MP Ganesh Singh accused the chief minister Kamal Nath of running away from the floor test as he is aware that he lacks majority.
  
• On March 11, Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His resignation triggered resignations from 22 other MLAs in Madhya Pradesh, pushing the state into a crisis.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government approached the Supreme Court for immediate floor test in Madhya Pradesh asking the current Congress-led government to prove its majority. The action shifted to the courts after the MP assembly was adjourned till March 26 by the speaker.

Amidst uproar in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, speaker N P Prajapati on Monday (March 16) adjourned the assembly after governor’s customary address, amid coronavirus scare.

Kamal Nath is running away from the floor test says BJP MP

A BJP MP from Satna in Madhya Pradesh, Ganesh Singh accused the chief minister Kamal Nath of running away from the floor test as he is aware that he lacks majority.

"Kamal Nath is running away from the floor test because he is aware he does not have a majority. He is using coronavirus as an excuse to buy time," Singh said.

The governor of Madhya Pradesh Lalji Tandon earlier said that the voting during the floor test shall only be conducted by raising hands and no other means.

Ahead of the budget session scheduled for Monday (March 16), BJP legislators from MP — who were staying in Gurugram for five days — reached Bhopal in wee hours of the day, around 2 pm, IANS reported.

On March 11, Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His resignation triggered resignations from 22 other MLAs in Madhya Pradesh, pushing it into a full-blown crisis.

Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan of BJP earlier said that the Assembly Speaker will act as per the state government's decisions.

"The Madhya Pradesh government has lost its majority. That is why they are running away from it. We will ask the government to bring a confidence motion tomorrow (Monday). The chief minister has said he wants a floor test. Then why is he not doing it? Our only demand is a floor test," Chouhan told ANI.

Yesterday, CM Nath claimed that nine BJP MLAs will support Congress during the floor test of the Assembly.

The meaning of a floor test

A floor test is a motion initiated by the government seeking to know if it enjoys the confidence of the legislature. As part of this procedure, the chief minister appointed by the governor will be asked to prove majority on the Legislative Assembly’s floor.

How is a floor test conducted?

When a floor test is called for in the assembly of a state, the chief minister will move a vote of confidence and prove that he has the majority support. If the floor test fails, the chief minister will have to resign. The whole idea of a floor test is incorporated in the constitution of India to ensure transparency in the constitutional process.

Last year, the Karnataka government underwent a floor test where the government led by Janata Party (Secular)’s H D Kumaraswamy was toppled by BJP led B S Yediyurappa.

SEE ALSO: What is a floor test and how will it affect the government of Madhya Pradesh?