Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena Urge Supreme Court To Order Floor Test Today, Want It To Be Videographed

The Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress on Saturday moved the Supreme Court, seeking a floor test within 24 hours to avoid further horse-trading and ‘illegal manoeuvres’ in Maharashtra. “In our petition, we requested Supreme Court for an urgent direction for a Floor Test to be held tomorrow itself,” senior advocate Devadutt Kamat told media persons in the national capital. In the plea, the alliance parties have demanded that the floor test of the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, to prove the majority, be video-graphed.

These parties have alleged that Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari administered the oath of the chief minister's post to Devendra Fadnavis without the BJP having the majority in the state.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Saturday asserted that Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as Maharashtra chief minister early this morning, will have to step down "shamefully" as all its MLAs and those of the NCP, except a few from the Sharad Pawar-led party, are together.

Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said it is "shameful that the President and the governor have stooped to the standard of RSS workers for facilitating this "dissolute political treachery as the chief minister was sworn in disgracefully under cover of darkness".

"Only a few NCP MLAs have fallen in the BJP's trap. All other MLAs of the Congress and NCP are with us. This unholy and corrupt political alliance will fall before long," he?said in a statement. Sooner than later, he said, the "illegally" installed BJP government in Maharasthra will "have to step down in dishonour".

He said, Fadanvis will have to step down "shamefully" after the floor test in the legislative assembly as the BJP leader won't be able to prove majority in the assembly.

The BJP has shown "political immorality to grab power at any cost" and the Congress party will fight against this "illegal and corrupt political treachery" carried out by misusing power and violating all constitutional provisions, by all means, Venugopal said.

The Congress leader said Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar met the governor only last night and the President rule was withdrawn without having a Cabinet meeting.

"The governor invited Fadnavis without having any clear clue on the numbers they have," he alleged. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders were directly involved in this "murder of democracy", he alleged.

Fadnavis and Pawar were sworn in as chief minister and deputy chief minister respectively after the NCP leader, who was his party's legislative party leader before being sacked later in the day, extended support to the BJP.