What Is a Floor Test? Know What Will Happen in Karnataka Assembly Today and How Will MLAs Choose the New Government

Bengaluru, May 19: Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Karnataka over the fractured mandate thrown up by the recently held assembly elections, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered a floor test in the state assembly at 4 PM on Saturday. The decision by the Apex Court drastically slashed the 15-day window given by the Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala to BJP Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to prove majority in the House.

The Supreme Court has also said the pro tem speaker will take care of the proceedings and take decisions on the issue of the floor test. A three-judge bench headed by Justice A K Sikri said, "Let the House decide and the best course would be floor test”. The bench noted that ultimately the question was about a majority which has to be proved on the floor of the House.

Reports inform that the bench, which also comprised Justices S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan, turned down Yeddyurappa's request for a secret ballot during the floor test. It also directed the Karnataka government and the Governor not to nominate any MLA from the Anglo-Indian community to participate in the voting to prove majority.

What is a Floor Test:

1. A floor test is a process of deciding if a government or a chief minister enjoys the support of the majority of the MLAs in the House. The aim behind a floor test is to ensure transparency in the constitutional process.
2. The MLA-elect, with a yes or a no, vote to answer whether they support the particular person as the chief minister.
3. In a floor test, the chief minister of a state who is, appointed by the governor is asked to prove his majority in the House in case there is doubt. In this case, the chief minister (Yeddyurappa), appointed by Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala has been asked to prove his majority.
4. In this case, the chief minister has to move a vote of confidence and win a majority among those present and voting.
5. If the confidence motion fails to pass, the chief minister has to resign.

The bench had made it clear that it would deal with the constitutionality of the Governor's letter inviting Yeddyurappa to form the government later. The bench has also directed the Karnataka government and the Governor not to nominate any MLA from the Anglo-Indian community to participate in the floor test.

Why Floor Test in Karnataka:

The results of assembly election in Karnataka sent shock waves across the nation. The Karnataka assembly has 224 members, but polls were conducted on 222 seats. On the result day, the BJP emerged the single-largest party with 104 seats but fell short of crossing the halfway mark in the 222-member assembly. The Congress bagged 78 seats while the JD(S) won 37 seats along with its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). It must be noted that the total number in the House will go down from 222 to 221 as H D Kumaraswamy, who contested from two seats- Channapatna and Ramanagara constituency, and won from both, will have to vacate one seat.

Being the single-largest party, BJP’s Yeddyurappa was then invited by the governor to form the government. He took an oath as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka on Thursday morning. The 75-year-old Lingayat strongman, who was given 15 days’ time to prove his majority on the floor of the House, faces an uphill task to shore up the numbers.

The Opposition parties protested against Yeddyurappa being the Chief Minister despite the Congress-JD(S) combine which claimed they have the required numbers.  BSY will now have to prove he has the support of more than 111 members on the House floor tomorrow.

Pro-Tem Speaker's Role In Floor Test:

1. A pro tem speaker is a temporary speaker who administers the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-elected MLAs.
2. As per the convention, the senior-most member of the House is chosen as a pro tem speaker and decides if the trust vote should be held through a voice vote or ballot.
3. In the floor test in Karnataka today, BJP MLA K G Bopaiah will be the pro-tem speaker. Bopaiah was appointed by state governor Vajubhai Vala on Friday.

Reports inform that the majority mark is 112 seats and the post-poll alliance strength of the Congress-JD(S) combine, which claims to have 117 MLAs, has alleged foul play in the Governor inviting BJP to form the government. The floor test is a transparent process conducted in the Assembly and not privately with the governor. It must be noted that it is mandatory for the party to prove majority in order to form the government in any state. Today, if BS Yeddyurappa, who was sworn-in as Karnataka's CM yesterday, is able to gather the support of more than 112 MLAs then he will continue to remain in power as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, if not, he will have to resign from the post.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 19, 2018 10:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).