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Supreme Court

The Supreme Court today directed that the floor test in the Maharashtra assembly will be conducted by tomorrow. The apex court also directed Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to ensure that all elected members of the house are sworn in by tomorrow itself. The entire exercise has to be completed by 5 pm.

A bench comprising Justices N V Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna also said the entire proceedings has to be telecast live. The bench added that the voting in the assembly shall not be on the basis of secret ballot.

The governor will also appoint a pro-tem speaker who will administer oath to the newly elected members.

Welcoming the Supreme Court’s order calling for a floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly tomorrow, the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress today said the truth shall win. They asserted that the BJP will be defeated. While, on its part, the BJP said it respects the verdict and expressed confidence that it will prove majority on the floor of the House. Hectic political activities have gone into full swing in Maharashtra, with slightly over 24 hours remaining for the floor test in state.

Maharashtra BJP Chief Chandrakant Patil told reporters in Mumbai that they respect the court order. he said that BJP is ready to prove majority. BJP leader Rao Saheb Danve has asserted saying We will prove our majority. The party has called for a MLAs meeting tonight in Mumbai. The BJP is holding a core committee meeting at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s residence currently, which is being attended by leaders Ashish Shelar, Raosaheb Danve, Girish Mahajan, Bhupendra Yadav and other BJP leaders. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and the Haribhau Bagade Speaker of the previous assembly are also attending the meeting. Bagade is officially still the Speaker till the next Speaker assumes charge.

Others who have hailed SC verdict today were deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who rebelled against the party last week and supported the BJP to form government in the state, tweeted saying he hailed the apex court for upholding the constitutional principles. Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut reiterated that truth cannot be defeated. While a Congress meeting a underway at a luxury hotel in Mumbai, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar and Party leader Nawab Malik reached the hotel where NCP MLAs are put up.

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