10 May,2016 06:44 AM IST | | Agencies
Disqualified nine legislators cannot vote in today's floor test, asserts High Court
Rawat now needs just 31 MLAs to reclaim his CM's chair.
Nainital: Sacked Chief Minister Harish Rawat yesterday got a major boost ahead of the confidence vote in the Uttarakhand Assembly tomorrow with the High Court dismissing the petition of nine Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification and the Supreme Court refusing to give any relief to them.
Rawat now needs just 31 MLAs to reclaim his CM's chair. File pic/PTI
It is advantage Rawat, as Justice UC Dhyani of the High Court dismissed two writ petitions filed by the rebel Congress MLAs against the Speaker's action, holding that by their conduct the lawmakers have âvoluntarily given up membership of their political party', a ground for disqualification under the anti-defection law.
After excluding the nine disqualified MLAs, the Assembly has an effective strength of 61 members. Of that, the Congress has 27 MLAs on its own and claims the backing of six-member PDF to make the ruling side's figure of 33. Rawat needs the backing of 31 MLAs for a simple majority.
