Munda gets nine days for floor test

New Delhi: Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibtey Razi on Wednesday gave Chief Minister Arjun Munda nine days to prove his Government’s majority in the Assembly.

Munda has to take a confidence vote on or before September 14, said Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari.

The Governor gave his decision after the embattled CM met him at his residence and sought time to prove his majority, citing similar kind of situations faced by the previous governments in the state.

The Munda Government was reduced to a minority on Tuesday following the resignation of four ministers of his Cabinet on Tuesday.

The BJP is maintaining that it will not let the state slip out without a fight. Munda also told the Governor that he would prove his majority in the Assembly in spite of the withdrawal of support by four MLAs.

On its part, the UPA is gearing up to form an alternative government in the state and the four dissident MLAs -- who resigned from the Munda Government on Tuesday -- are already camping in New Delhi trying to work out the modalities for a new government.

In a House of 81, the NDA has the support of 43 MLAs, including the five crucial independents who came aboard immediately after the polls last year.

Now with four of them withdrawing support, their number has goes down to 39. And the UPA, which had 38 MLAs till now, acquires a new strength to 42.

On his part, the Governor said on Tuesday that he would follow all constitutional norms, regulations and conventions before taking a decision.

"They wrote to me and told me that they have withdrawn their support to the NDA and have resigned from the Cabinet," Governor Syed Sibtey Razi said.

The four ministers, who quit on Tuesday, are now camping in the capital, to decide on their future course of action.

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There is speculation that they may join the UPA, giving the party a clear majority over NDA in Jharkhand. One of the independent MLAs, Madhu Koda, is pressing his claim for the top post in a Congress-backed government.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha or JMM leader Shibu Soren is also a strong contender for the CM's post. But he is unlikely to garner enough support from his own party.

Immediately after submitting his resignation from the government on Tuesday, Koda declared that the Munda Government has been reduced to a minority. He said he was unhappy with the functioning of Chief Minsiter Arjun Munda.

"The Munda Government has gone. An alternative will soon come up. Things will be clear very soon," he said after meeting Governor Syed Shibte Razi.

Koda, along with Enos Ekka, Hari Narain Rai and Kamlesh Singh called on the Governor and handed over their resignation letters.

Accusing the Munda Government of 'unilateral' decision-taking, Koda condemned the incident involving Kamlesh Singh who had alleged that the police intercepted his car at Jamshedpur while he was going to Kolkata to catch a flight to Delhi.

As for an alternative formation, there is still a problem area on who will lead this ragtag coalition which wants to replace the NDA. JMM leader Shibu Soren and independent MLA Madhu Koda have emerged as the top contenders for the CM's post.

For many years, Soren has dreamt of becoming Jharkhand's chief minister and it will be difficult for him to accept anyone else.

Asked who would be UPA's chief ministerial candidate, Koda said: "It will be decided in the UPA meeting in New Delhi."

On its part, the BJP blamed the Congress for the crisis on its government in the state, but insisted it would prove majority in the Assembly.

After a three-hour party meeting chaired by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his residence, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu alleged that the Congress' central leadership was trying to misuse the office of the governor to destabilise the Arjun Munda government.

Despite the resignation of four ministers leaving the NDA administration in Jharkhand in a minority, Naidu put up a bold front, claiming the BJP-led government in the state still has sufficient numbers to stay in power.

"Ministers may have resigned, but we still have a majority and let it be tested on the floor of the House," he said after the BJP's core group meeting attended by party leaders L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Vijay Kumar Malhotra among others.

(With agency reports)