Uttarakhand floor test: Congress worries as BJP woos other MLAs

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“The BJP is in touch with some of these MLAs and we are aware of that,” said a senior Congress leader.

According to a Congress leader, of the six PDF MLAs — three Independents, two from the BSP and one from the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal — the BSP MLAs appear to be vulnerable to BJP pressure. “They are saying they will do whatever Mayawati tells them to. This was not what they were saying earlier. That is why we are keeping our fingers crossed,” said the leader.

After the nine rebels were disqualified by the Speaker, the 71-member Assembly has 28 BJP MLAs and 27 from the Congress — there is also a nominated member.

Sources in the BJP and Congress camps, meanwhile, have been finetuning their strategies while awaiting the High Court judgment on the rebel MLAs. “Our writ is ready and we will immediately move the larger bench in case the Speaker’s action is set aside,” said a Congress leader.

The BJP, on the other hand, plans to move the Supreme Court “immediately” if the rebels’ disqualification is upheld.

If the High Court upholds the disqualification of the nine MLAs, Rawat would need the support of 31 MLAs. On Friday, while ordering the floor test, the top court had said disqualified MLAs cannot vote if they continue to remain ineligible at the time.

On Saturday, after hearing arguments on a plea by the rebels to let them vote, Uttarakhand High Court Justice U C Dhyani said, “The hearing has been concluded. I will pronounce the judgment at 10.15 am on May 9.”

Later, Congress chief whip Indira Hridayesh and her BJP counterpart Madan Kaushik confirmed that the process to issue whips to their MLAs had begun.

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