What is floor test? All you need to know about it amid political crisis in Maharashtra

On Wednesday, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari asked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove a majority on the floor of the state assembly.

Governor Koshyari has written to the Assembly Secretary Rajendra Bhagwat calling for a special session at 11 am tomorrow (June 30) for CM Thackeray to prove his majority, a week after nearly 40 Shiv Sena MLAs rebelled against him.

The rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, who are staying at a five-star hotel in Assam's Guwahati, will have return to Mumbai to participate in the floor test.

What is a floor test?

A floor test is a motion through which the government seeks to know whether it still enjoys the confidence of the legislature.

In this procedure, a Chief Minister appointed by the Governor can be asked to prove majority on the floor of the Legislative Assembly of the state.

The Chief Minister has to move a vote of confidence and win a majority among those present and voting. The Chief Minister has to resign if the confidence motion fails to pass.

There is also another test called composite floor test. This is conducted only when more than one person stakes claim to form the government. The Governor may call for a special session to see who has the majority based on those present and voting.

Also, a pro-tem speaker is appointed ahead of the floor test. Usually, the longest-serving House member is nominated as pro-tem speaker, whose role is limited to administering oath to new MLAs and conducting the election of the full-time speaker.

(With PTI inputs)

Published on: Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 09:33 AM IST