Uddhav Thackeray government to face floor test on November 30

The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance claims to have the support of over 170 MLAs.

The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, an alliance of the Shiva Sena, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), will face a floor test in the Assembly on Saturday. 

The floor test will be conducted by the pro tem Speaker at a special Assembly session to be convened at 2 p.m., sources in the Raj Bhavan and the Legislature Secretariat said.

Dilip Walse-Patil of the NCP will be the pro tem Speaker. 

In a dramatic turn of events on Friday, the State Cabinet recommended changing Kalidas Kolambkar of the BJP as pro tem Speaker. Mr. Walse-Patil was sworn in by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyar and he will monitor the floor test. 

Elections to choose a Speaker will be held on Sunday. 

The nomination form for the election will have to be filed by Saturday noon, senior leaders said. 

As leader of the alliance, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has submitted letters of support from over 162 MLAs, though the eventual number will be over 170, the alliance leaders said. 

Mr. Koshyari had asked the alliance to prove its majority by December 3. 

Alliance confident

“Our strength is eventually going to cross over 170 with support of Independents and MLAs of smaller parties. The coalition is confident of passing the floor test with a majority,” a senior leader of the alliance said. 

Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accused the government of changing the rules for a floor test. The house is secretary being called while the MLAs of the Agadhi are still in hiding, he said 

“If this government has a majority, then why are they secretly calling the House? Why efforts to change the pro tem Speaker, going against the rules? Why still doubt your own MLAs so much? Why are they still hiding them,” he said adding that at its first meeting on Thursday, the new Cabinet chose to discuss how to prove a majority secretly instead of discussing assistance and relief for farmers suffering from unseasonal rains.

A special joint session of the the two Houses will be called on Sunday to choose the Speaker and Governor Koshyari will address the session.

(With inputs from Alok Deshpande)