Maharashtra floor test tomorrow to decide Uddhav Thackeray's fate. Here’s all you need to know about this test

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Wednesday asked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove majority on the floor of the state assembly.

Governor Koshyari has written to the Assembly Secretary Rajendra Bhagwat requesting a special session for a floor test at 11 am on Thursday for Thackeray, a week after nearly 40 Shiv Sena MLAs, led by Eknath Shinde, rebelled against him.

The renegade MLAs led by Shinde, who are staying at a five-star hotel in BJP-ruled Assam, will return to Mumbai to participate in the floor test.


Eknath Shinde on the other hand has claimed the support of nearly 40 (out of 55) Sena MLAs, thus resulting in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government - comprising Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Congress on the brink of collapse.

The Shiva Sena is set to rush to the Supreme Court and appeal against the holding of a trust vote when a decision on the disqualification of rebel MLAs was already put on hold by the court.

What is a floor test ?

A floor test is a move that allows the government to know if it still enjoys the confidence of the legislature.

In this procedure, a Chief Minister appointed by the Governor is asked to prove majority on the floor of the state’s Legislative Assembly.

The Chief Minister has to move a vote of confidence and win a majority among those present and voting. However, the CM has to step down and resign if the confidence motion is unsuccessful.

The Composite floor test

There is also another test called composite floor test. This is conducted only when more than one person stakes a claim to constitute the government. In order to determine who has the majority amongst those present and voting, the governor may call for a composite floor test.

Also, just ahead of the floor test, a pro-tem speaker is appointed who is usually the longest-serving House member. The role of a pro-tem speaker is limited to administering oaths to new MLAs and conducting the election of the full-time speaker.