Dehradun: Mr. Harish Rawat will take a trust vote on Thursday to determine if he can restore his term as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, as ruled by the top court of the state.
The High Court’s judgment is shamefaced for the Centre, which ordered President’s Rule, for Uttarakhand on the weekend.
In reply, the centre said this proved that his government had been reduced to a minority. Mr Rawat and his party disprove that allegation, and were asked by Governor KK Paul to take a trust vote yesterday, March 28.
Mr Rawat of the Congress was Chief Minister till then. For months, he faced growing dissonance from within his party. Earlier this month,9 of his party MLAs voted against him on a key financial bill.
Mr Rawat condemned this as a “murder of democracy” because he was bereaved of the opportunity to prove his strength.
However, before the same can happen, the President Pranab Mukherjee ordered the cabinet’s recommendation for Uttarakhand to be governed by the Centre.
According to the Centre, a constitutional breakdown had sieged the hilly state after a video surfaced showing Mr Rawat in horse-trading; a news channel alleged that he was caught on camera offering large payola to rebel Congressman to induce them back to his fold. (NDTV cannot verify the authenticity of the video.)
However, the 9 rebel Congressmen, who were disqualified from the assembly under anti-defection laws, have been permitted to take part in the vote.
Earlier, Congress’s government in Arunanchal Pradesh collapsed, again, after a insurgence within its legislators.
Uttarakhand is one of 8 states governed by the Congress (among those are Kerala and Assam where elections have been called).
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