Maha Floor Test | 38 Rebels, 2 in Jail, 2 COVID-Ridden: How MVA Numbers Stack Up

Without the 40 rebel MLAs, the ruling government will be in minority.

From left to right: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo Courtesy: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

As the political deadlock in Maharashtra resumes, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari ordered to hold a floor test for the Uddhav Thackeray-led government at 11 am on Thursday, 30 June.

"In the backdrop of the disturbing political scenario" unfolding in Maharashtra, a special session of the Vidhan Sabha shall be convened with the only agenda of a "no trust vote against the Chief Minister," the governor wrote in his letter to the Assembly Secretary Rajendra Bhagwat.

Ahead of the session, here's how the numbers stack up for each party in the Maharashtra Assembly:

• Shiv Sena: 55

• Nationalist Congress Party: 53

• Congress: 44

• Bharatiya Janata Party: 106

• Bahujan Vikas Aghadi: 3

• Samajwadi Party: 2

• All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen: 2

• Prahar Janshakti Party: 2

• Maharashtra Navnirman Sena: 1

• Communist Party of India (Marxist): 1

• Peasants and Workers Party: 1

• Swambhimani Paksha: 1

• Rashtriya Samaj Paksha: 1

• Jansurajya Shakti Party: 1

• Krantikari Shetkari Party: 1

• Independents: 13

The majority mark is currently at 144 in the 287-member assembly, with the ruling alliance presently having 152 MLAs.

The Decisive Factors

Meanwhile, it is important to note that:

• There is one vacancy owing to the passing of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke last month.

• Out of the 55 Shiv Sena MLAs, 38 are in Guwahati along with 10 independents. Without the rebel MLAs, the ruling government will be in minority.

• Two NCP members – Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal – have tested COVID-19 positive, while two other party legislators – Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik – are currently in jail.

What the Governor's Letter Said

Citing an email from seven independent MLAs, Governor Koshyari said that Thackeray "had lost the confidence of the majority on the floor" of the house, making it "imperative to conduct a floor test at the earliest."

He also wrote about the violence unleashed on the house of the 39 rebel MLAs and added that as the "Constitutional Head it was his responsibility to ensure that the Government continues to function with the confidence of the House."

According to the letter, the floor test will be telecast live, and the proceedings will be recorded on camera by the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat through an independent agency.