Maharashtra political crisis: Supreme Court orders floor test on November 27

One of the PILs has sought a direction to "evolve an objective and rational test for identification of the creamy layer among SC/STs and separating the same from the non-creamy layer SC/ST". (Photo: Getty Images)


The Supreme Court on Tuesday, announced that Maharashtra will go for floor test on November 27, and all MLAs must take oath before 5pm till Wednesday administered by pro tem speaker which will be videographed.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice NV Ramana comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Ashok Bhushan reserved their order on the urgent plea filed by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress challenging Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s decision to swear in BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar of NCP as the Deputy Chief Minister on Monday. In their joint plea, the three parties have urged the top court to order an immediate floor test.

After Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said, “Maharashtra is not Goa and it is time to teach them a lesson,” Pawar said.

“A misinformation is being spread that Ajit Pawar is the NCP”s legislature party leader who would issue a whip to all (NCP) MLAs to vote for the BJP (in floor test). It is being said that whoever defies the whip would lose his membership of the House,” Pawar said.

The NCP chief added that he had consulted several constitutional and legal experts and also gone through previous instances on the issue of technicalities. “I have come to the conclusion that Ajit Pawar, who is removed from his position (as the NCP legislature party leader for joining hands with the BJP in forming a government), has no legal right to issue a whip to MLAs.”