The Punjab assembly on Monday ‘unanimously’ passed the confidence motion moved by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on 27 September, even as Congress workers staged a walkout.
The BJP members had already announced they would boycott the session. After a lengthy discussion on the confidence motion, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, put it to vote. He asked MLA’s who were in support to raise their hands and then called on the non-supporting MLA’s.
Announcing the results, Sadhwan said that 91 AAP MLAs supported the motion. He claimed that one of the three SAD MLAs present and the lone BSP MLA did not oppose the motion.
No Congress, BJP or Independent MLA was present in the house at the time of voting. AAP has 92 MLAs, including the Speaker, in the House. “So, 93 MLAs have supported the motion and none are against it. “Thus, the motion is unanimously passed,” the Speaker said.
In the 117-member Punjab Assembly, the AAP has 92 members, Congress 18, SAD3, BJP 2, BSP 1, and 1 is an Independent.
The assembly had taken up the confidence motion after AAP MLAs hit out at the BJP over “operation Lotus’, alleging a bid to topple the six-month old government. The AAP has claimed that 10 of its MLAs were approached by the BJP with an offer of Rs. 25 crore for toppling the Mann-led Punjab government.
However, as the debate began, Congress MLAs staged a walkout, demanding that they be given time to speak and raise issues during the zero hour.