Oppn away, Mulayam sails through trust-vote

Helped by Opposition resignations, boycott and a walkout, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav...

Helped by Opposition resignations, boycott and a walkout, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today sailed through a trust vote in the Assembly in an exercise more academic since elections in the state have already been announced.

With the the entire Opposition absent — the BJP staged a walkout — the Chief Minister won the trial of strength by a voice-vote, the 22nd time he has done this in less than four years of his rule.

While all BSP MLAs had submitted their resignations to party chief Mayawati last week, the Congress and RLD members boycotted today’s proceedings, claiming that the government had been rendered “unconstitutional” and “illegal” after the Supreme Court judgment disqualifying 13 breakaway BSP MLAs.

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Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey announced that the case of the other 24 BSP MLAs who had joined the SP three years ago would be heard if a fresh petition was filed before him.

The BJP staged a walkout before the motion was put to vote. The number of MLAs backing the government remained unclear because no division took place but SP’s Naresh Agarwal later claimed that the number was 213-214.

Earlier, Mulayam Singh said he had asked the Election Commission to hold elections in February when the House completed five years of its notification.

“The Opposition didn’t agree with me and convinced the EC not to accept my request. So they don’t have any right now to demand my resignation,” he said.