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Dehra Dun, March 29 (PTI): The Vijay Bahuguna-led Congress government in Uttarakhand today won the trust vote with 39 votes in the 70-member Assembly.
All 31 Congress members, the BSP’s three MLAs, three Independents and the lone legislator of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal voted in favour of the trust motion tabled by Bahuguna. R.V. Gardner, a nominated Anglo-Indian member, also threw his lot behind the government.
The Opposition BJP dubbed the vote “unconstitutional” and walked out after the Speaker, the Congress’s Govind Singh Kunjwal, rejected their demand for a secret ballot.
“It is totally unconstitutional that the government did not accept the demand of secret ballot,” said Ajay Bhatt, a BJP MLA.
Earlier, as soon as the House assembled for the day, Bahuguna tabled the one-line motion saying he wanted to prove his majority in view of the Opposition demand.
“The members of the Opposition have been saying for the past two days that my government does not have a majority. This is wrong as we have already proved our majority during the election of the Speaker. Still, in line with the healthy tradition of democracy, I want to table a trust motion on the floor of the House,” Bahuguna said.
The chief minister urged the Speaker to order a division of votes. However, the Opposition members were on their feet demanding a secret ballot. They walked into the well of the House before walking out. The Speaker undertook a physical count of the members who voted for the motion.
Yesterday, the BJP members had disrupted proceedings demanding that the Bahuguna government seek a trust vote.
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