IANS
Itanagar, February 25
Newly sworn-in Arunachal Chief Minister Kalikho Pul won a trust vote in the state assembly on Thursday while Wangki Lowang was elected as the new speaker.
Pul, who was sworn-in on February 19 after the central government recommended that president’s rule, be lifted from the state, won by voice vote.
There were 40 lawmakers present in the 60-member assembly, whose strength now stands at 58 following the expulsion of two Congress legislators in the recent political crisis, while ousted chief minister Nabam Tuki and his 16 loyalists Congress members did not attend.
Pul, who had openly revolted against Tuki, informed the assembly that he has the support of 28 congress legislators as per the attendance at the Congress Legislature Party meeting held on Wednesday, besides the support of 11 Bharatitya Janata Party legislators and two Independent members.
Tuki likely to be disqualified
Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki is likely to be disqualified as member of the state Assembly and the Congress Party under the anti-defection law.
According to informed sources, incumbent state Chief Minister Kalikho Pul has issued a whip to all Congress Party MLAs to be present in the state Assembly to participate in a vote on a motion of confidence with regard to his government, and it is quite likely that Tuki will ignore the whip and skip the crucial Assembly session, and in turn attract punitive action under the anti-defection law. The Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, popularly known as the Anti-Defection Act, was included in the Constitution in 1985 by the government of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
