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Uttarakhand crisis : BJP lawmakers and rebel Cong legislators to meet the Prez today

by IBNS 21 Mar 2016, 07:26 am

New Delhi, Mar 21 (IBNS) The high drama over the battle for Uttarakhand shifts the stage to Delhi as the BJP lawmakers from the state and nine Congress rebels are set to meet meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday to stake their claim to form a government.

Reports said the Congress legislators who have rebelled against the leadership of Chief Minister Harish Rawat are at an undisclosed location. The Uttarakhand Speaker has, at the behest of the Congress, issued notices against them for defection and they have to reply by Saturday.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat - who has been asked by Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly before Monday, March 28 - is now engaged in hectic efforts to gather and secure his flock of lawmakers.

The Congress has 36 lawmakers in the 70-member Assembly, only one more than the halfway mark needed for a majority. It also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front. The BJP has 28 lawmakers.

The loss of nine lawmakers will reduce the Congress government to a minority. But if less than two-thirds or in this case 24 Congress lawmakers split from the party, they can be disqualified under anti-defection laws.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has accused the BJP of destabilising the Rawat government. "Toppling elected Govts by indulging in horse trading & blatant misuse of money & muscle, seems to be BJP's new model, after failure in Bihar," Mr Gandhi tweeted.

"This attack on our democracy & Constitution, first in Arunachal & now Uttarakhand, is the true face of Modiji's BJP. Congress Party will fight demagoguery with democracy," the Congress vice president said.