9.6.13

Somewhere in Andhra Pradesh....

The Kiran Kumar Reddy government got fortified on Saturday after speaker N Manohar disqualified 15 MLAs of the Congress and TDP for defying the respective party whips during voting on the no confidence motion in March this year. Nine of the disqualified legislators belonged to the ruling Congress and the remaining 6 to the TDP. All of them disobeyed the party whip as they shifted loyalties to the YSR Congress, which was one of the backers of the no-trust vote.
Before the disqualification, the Congress had an effective strength of 146 MLAs (and on paper 155 MLAs) in a House of 293 members (with one seat vacant) and technically in a minority as 148 is the number required for simple majority. After the disqualification of 15 members and one vacancy, the total strength of the house has come down to 278 and with the Congress strength at 146, it is well beyond the required number of 140 for simple majority. Speaker yet to take decision on 3 TDP MLAs
These MLAs were disqualified after the Congress and TDP petitioned the speaker seeking action against 18 legislators for having violated the whip. However, in the case of three TDP members, K Hareeshwar Reddy, S Venugopalachary and C Ramakotaiah, the speaker withheld action as the hearing is still to be completed. But unlike the 15 disqualified legislators who had dared the speaker to take action against them, these three MLAs are contending that they did not receive the whip issued by the party.

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