As the Supreme Court today announced that Maharashtra will go for floor test on November 27, and all MLAs must take oath before 5 pm till Wednesday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi hailed the top court order. “We will win the floor test,” she said while talking to reporters.
The Congress party too welcomed the apex court’s order to hold a floor test in Maharashtra as a “victory for democracy” and asserted that it was a “slap” on the “illegitimate BJP-Ajit Pawar” government.
The grand old party also alleged that the BJP has brought a “black name” for democracy, while the Supreme Court on Constitution Day has given a gift to the nation by passing the order.
The SC while pronouncing its order said, “In a situation wherein, if the floor test is delayed, there is a possibility of horse-trading, it becomes incumbent upon the Court to act to protect democratic values. An immediate floor test, in such a case, might be the most effective mechanism to do so.”
The Shiv Sena too is happy with the verdict and as the top court directed Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to ensure floor test in the state Assembly on Wednesday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said (in Hindi) that truth cannot be defeated.
“Satyamev jayate” (truth shall prevail),” Raut tweeted.
सत्य मेव जयते…
— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) November 26, 2019
“Satya pareshan ho sakta hai..parajit nahi ho sakta…Jai Hind!!” (truth can get frustrated, but cannot get defeated), the Rajya Sabha member said in yet another tweet.
सत्य परेशान हो सकता है..
पराजित नही हो सकता…
जय हिंद!!— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) November 26, 2019
“Sena, Cong, NCP are satisfied with the Supreme Court order of a floor test in the Maharashtra assembly…We are confident that we have a majority in the Maharashtra Assembly. The reality of the BJP’s claim will be exposed tomorrow,” said senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan while speaking to reporters after the apex court order.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that the floor test for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to prove his majority in the Maharashtra Assembly be conducted on Wednesday.
It also directed Governor Koshyari to ensure that all elected members of the House are sworn in on Wednesday itself.
The apex court also said that the entire proceedings have to be telecast live. Voting in the Assembly shall not be on the basis of secret ballot, it said.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice NV Ramana comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Ashok Bhushan reserved their order on the urgent plea filed by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress challenging Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s decision to swear in BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar of NCP as the Deputy Chief Minister on Monday. In their joint plea, the three parties have urged the top court to order an immediate floor test.
On Saturday morning, Maharashtra politics witnessed a very dramatic turn with NCP leader Ajit Pawar swearing-in as Deputy Chief Minister with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister. On Friday evening, the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena alliance was looking to be a reality after a series of meetings. But the Saturday’s event changed the course of Maharashtra government formation- a battle that is underway since the declaration of results on October 24.