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The Champai Soren-led coalition government in Jharkhand will seek a vote of trust today at 11 am during a special two-day assembly session.
Champai Soren, who took oath as the new Jharkhand Chief Minister on Friday, claimed the support of 47 MLAs of the ruling JMM-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also tweeted on X, saying that Champai Soren has the support of 48 MLA.
Jharkhand Floor Test & The Number Game
As per an NDTV report, the ruling alliance in Jharkhand has five more MLAs from the majority mark of 41 in the 81-member assembly. One of the 81 seats is vacant, so the majority mark is 41 when counted for 80 seats.
The JMM, Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Communist Party of India (ML) have a total of 46 MLAs. These are JMM (28), Congress (16), RJD (1), and CPI(ML) 1. The BJP and allies have 29 MLAs, NDTV reported.
Jharkhand Trust Vote & The Possible Outcome
Champai Soren is most likely to win the trust votes on Monday, if everything goes right. Simply put, if the MLAs currently backing Champai Soren remain committed to him, he will have no problem proving his majority in the assembly.
MLAs of the ruling JMM and its alliance partners returned to the state on Sunday from Hyderabad to attend the floor test today. The MLAs were kept in a resort near Hyderabad after JMM leader Champai Soren was appointed Chief Minister.
His predecessor Hemant Soren, the son of JMM co-founder Shibu Soren, is in jail in an alleged corruption case. The ruling JMM took the 'resort politics' route to prevent its MLAs from being 'approached' by rival parties for switching sides.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP convened its legislature party’s meeting yesterday to chalk out its strategy in the House. The saffron party will oppose the trust motion in the House today.
What is Floor Test or Trust Vote?
A floor test, also referred to as a trust vote, is usually conducted when a new government swears in. The primary goal of the exercise is to see if the executive enjoys the confidence of the legislature.
Article 164 of the Constitution states that if the council of ministers, who are collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly, do not enjoy the support of the legislature, the executive has to step down.
In case of a tie, the Speaker has the deciding vote. Before conducting the floor test, the Governor appoints a pro-tem Speaker, or a temporary Speaker to conduct the exercise. Usually, the longest serving House member is nominated as pro-tem speaker.
