Floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly stayed till April 6

DEHRADUN: A division bench of the Uttarakhand HC on Wednesday stayed the trial of strength in the state assembly ordered by a single bench of the court till April 6, when the bench comprising Chief Justice KM Joseph and Justice VK Bisht will further hear the case.

The stay was given on an appeal filed by the Centre against the single bench’s Tuesday order. Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi appeared on behalf of the Centre, while Congress leader and SC lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi pleaded before the bench against the single-bench order of allowing nine rebel Congress MLAs, disqualified by the Speaker under the anti-defection law, to vote in the floor test. “By consent of both parties involved, the matter is being heard by the division bench,” BJP leader Nalin Kohli told ET.

While the Centre was unhappy with the floor test in a House where President’s rule was imposed, the Congress camp was not pleased with the decision to allow disqualified MLAs to vote.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader in-charge of Uttarakhand, Ambika Soni, who reached Dehradun in the morning, held talks with MLAs and remained in regular touch with Harish Rawat.

The challenge for BJP and Congress camps is to keep their MLAs together. Sources in the Uttarakhand Congress said the party would like to prolong the legal battle for political benefit.

“The BJP, which rules the Centre, may want to close the legal battle at the earliest but Congress wants to project Harish Rawat as a martyr,” a source said.