By As Champai Soren government in Jharkhand gets ready to face floor test, Bihar Congress MLAs sequestered in Hyderabad; SC to hear AAP plea on Chandigarh mayoral poll dispute
The newly formed Jharkhand government of Champai Soren faces a trust vote on Monday for which 40 ruling coalition legislators, who camped in Hyderabad to prevent “poaching”, reached Ranchi on Sunday night. The vote is expected to be held from 11 am onwards.
Introduction
The MLAs were shifted to Congress-ruled Telangana as the state plunged into a political crisis after Jharkand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren resigned as CM and was subsequently arrested on January 31 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. A special court has allowed Hemant to participate in the trust vote.
Jharkhand will seek a trust vote in the assembly on Monday. The state had plunged into a political crisis after Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren resigned as CM and was subsequently arrested onjanuary 31 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case. Subsequently, state transport minister and JMM leader Champai Soren staked claim to form the government and was appointed Chief Minister-designate by Governor C P Radhakrishnan on February 1.
How the numbers stack up: The ruling coalition has 47 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly after Gandey MLA Sarfaraz Ahmed quit on January 2 reportedly to accommodate Hemant’s wife Kalpana as the former CM’s arrest seemed imminent. The JMM has 29 MLAs while allies Congress and RJD have 17 and one MLA respectively. Sources said the lone CPI(ML) Liberation legislator, Vinod Singh, has also extended support to the coalition. The NDA — which includes the BJP, All Jharkhand Students’ Union, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP — has 29 MLAs in all.
A trust vote will be held in neighbouring Bihar on February 12 and like in Jharkhand, the Congress, wary of attempts to break the party, has moved 16 of its 19 MLAs to Hyderabad. The BJP, meanwhile, has dismissed the Congress’s claims. The Jnata Dal (United), BJP, and Hindustani Awam Morcha of Jitan Ram MAnjhi,with the support of an Independent, have a clear majority with 128 MLAs in the 243-member House. More details about the Congress’s plans and the political situation in Bihar are likely to emerge on Monday.
UCC Bill set to be tabled
With the Uttarakhand Cabinet approving the draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the government is all set to table the UCC Bill on Monday as the special four-day session of the Assembly begins. Once implemented, Uttarakhand will become the first state after Independence to adopt the UCC. It has been operational in Goa since the days of Portuguese rule.
The UCC proposes uniform civil laws for all communities in the state, irrespective of caste and religion. It will provide a legal framework for uniform marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance laws for the state’s citizens. The passage of the UCC Bill in Uttarakhand will mark the fulfilment of a promise made by the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls in 2022.
Why it is significant: The move assumes significance as Assam Chief Minister HimantaBiswa Sarma has publicly stated that his government was keenly watching Uttarakhand and plans to implement it in his state too. It will serve as the template for the implementation of UCC nationally and is likely to be implemented in Gujarat too.
BJP issues three-line whip
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s January 31 address to a joint sitting of Parliament. The BJP has issued a three-line whip to all its Lok Sabha MPs to be present in the House.
Modi’s speech will likely outline the government’s accomplishments and set the agenda for the Lok Sabha elections.
SC to hear AAP plea
The Supreme Court on Monday is scheduled to hear the AAP’s plea challenging the punjab and Haryana High court order refusing to grant an interim stay on the Chadigarh mayoral polls. A three-judge Bench headed by CJI D Y Chandrachud, and including Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, will hear the appeal of the AAP’s mayoral candidate Kuldeep Kumar. The AAP contested the polls in alliance with the Congress, which contested the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
BJP’s Manoj Sonkar was elected Mayor on January 30 after he bagged 16 votes against the 12 votes received by Kuldeep Kumar. Returning Officer Anil Masih declared eight votes invalid. As the angry AAP-Congress alliance alleged fraud and boycotted the electoral process for the remaining posts, the BJP also walked away with the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
Budget to be presented in Kerala, UP Assemblies
The Budget sessions of various states such as Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Chattishgrh, and Odisha will commence on Monday. In Kerala, where the Assembly session began on January 25, and Uttar Pradesh, where the session began last Friday, the Budget will be tabled.
