Thiruvananthapuram, August 24: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan defeated the no-confidence motion moved in the State Assembly today by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition. The motion was tabled in response to the alleged links between the CMO and the gold smuggling case that has rocked the coastal state of India.

The motion was tabled by Congress legislator V D Satheesan on behest of Ramesh Chennithala, the Leader of Opposition in Kerala Legislative Assembly. The motion was backed by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and other constituents of the UDF. Rajya Sabha Bypoll Results 2020: LDF Ally MV Shreyams Kumar Wins Upper House Seat From Kerala.

"While the Chief Minister was attending the press conference and saying that everything was fine with the government and was ready to face any probe, his former principal secretary was being questioned by investigating agencies for hours," Satheeshan said as it he tabled the motion in the Assembly.

The ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) succeeded in defeating the motion based on their numerical strength. The ruling side has 91 MLAs in its camp, whereas, the Congress-led coalition comprises of 45 legislators in the 140-member Assembly.

Although the no-confidence motion was poised to be defeated, the Congress claimed that it was a symbolic victory for them as the state government has been "exposed" in the gold smuggling case.

The case of gold smuggling in Kerala was unearthed last month, when KSIT employee Swapna Suresh was found linked to a person arrested with 30 kg of gold. The case rocked the Kerala CMO as Vijayan's former principal secretary had allegedly recommended her appointment in the KSIT.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2020 10:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).