Madhya Pradesh ( Floor test )
Context :
Madhya Pradesh govt. crisis , The Kamal Nath government, which assumed office in December 2018, plunged into crisis after a rebellion by a section of Congress MLAs.
Whats the Issue :
Most of the rebel Congress MLAs are said to be supporters of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who quit the ruling party and joined the BJP .
What is “floor test” :
- In parliamentary system, the government is made by a party or a group of parties i.e. a coalition, which has support of majority of elected members present in the house.
- A floor test is a motion through which the government of the day seeks to know whether it still enjoys the confidence of legislature.
- In this procedure, a CM appointed by the Governor can be asked to prove majority on the floor of the Legislative Assembly of the state.
- The chief minister has to move a vote of confidence and win a majority among those present and voting.
- If the confidence motion fails to pass, the chief minister has to resign.
- The idea behind a floor test is to ensure transparency in the constitutional process.
What is Composite “floor test”:
- If there is more than one person staking claim to form the government and the majority is not clear, the governor may call for a special session to see who has the majority.
- Some legislators may be absent or choose not to vote. In such a case, the majority is counted based on those present and voting
Voting process :
These are the modes by which voting can be conducted :
- Voice vote: In a voice vote, the legislators respond orally.
- Division vote: In case of a division vote, voting is done using electronic gadgets, slips or in a ballot box.
- Ballot vote: Ballot box is usually a secret vote – just like how people vote during state or parliamentary elections. The Supreme Court in its order on Friday rejected the Yeddurappa’s government’s request for a secret ballot.