Gauhati High Court. The Gauhati High Court on Tuesday ordered a floor test in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) before December 26 for the ruling alliance of the BJP-UPPL-GSP to prove their strength.
The Indian Express had on Monday reported how the newly-constituted BTC is yet to start functioning in full swing over a week after its formation as elected members from the ruling alliance were away in a hotel in Shillong and a High Court ruling on the validity of the council was scheduled.
Out of the 40 elected seats in BTC, UPPL won 12, BJP nine, GSP one, Congress one and BPF had 17 seats. The BPF — Bodoland People’s Front — is an ally of the BJP in the state government and there are three ministers from the party in the Sarbananda Sonowal cabinet. However, the BJP later joined hands with the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL).
The lone Congress candidate and a winner from the BPF have joined the BJP since.
When the BJP did not ally with the BPF, Hagrama Mohilary, BPF supremo and an influential Bodo leader, approached the Gauhati High Court, challenging the manner in which the Chief Executive Member and other executive members were appointed and alleging violation of constitutional provisions.
“Since there is a consensus at the bar that under the given circumstances, floor test would not only be permissible but would be necessary and considering the fact that the writ petitioner no.1 [Mohilary] is the leader of the single largest party who has already staked his claim to form the Executive Committee, a composite floor test so as to prove the majority of the respondent no.1 [Promod Boro, who leads the UPPL and is the newly-appointed Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the BTC] vis-à-vis the petitioner no.1, in the opinion of this Court, would be the best way to resolve the issue,” an High Court order by Justice Suman Shyam read.
The court also directed the UPPL chief Boro to “not take any major policy decision till the holding of the floor test”.
