Mulayam wins trust vote in UP House amidst Oppn boycott

Lucknow, Feb 26: Mulayam Singh Yadav government in Uttar Pradeshtoday won the second consecutive vote of confidence in the assemblyamid protests by the entire opposition inside and outside the house.

The ruling Samajwadi Party(SP) won the trust vote by a voice voteamid empty opposition benches. In the previous sitting on January 25,the government had recieved 223 votes in the 402 member house.

BJP members, the only opposition to remain in the house till themotion of vote of confidence was moved, created unrurly scenes,alleging biased attitude by the chair and demanding removal of thedefected BJP members from the house. Earlier, the house was adjournedfor more than 30 minutes due to pandemonium by the BJP members.

After BJP's walkout, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav said BJPbroke all decorum today in the house and claimed them as the mostindisciplined party.

He also said SP wanted assembly polls before February 25 but theElection Commission did not accept it. ''Now the opposition is makingwild allegation against the government,'' he added.

The treasury benches did not press for the lobby division duringthe confidence vote but later Transport minister Naresh Agarwal saidthe strength of the government was around 214 members.

The BJP was the only Opposition party which attended the proceedingstoday. While Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has decided to boycott theproceedings, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs had last week handed intheir resignations to party chief Mayawati to protest the confidencevote the ruling SP proposes to seek today.

Congress MLAs too tendered their resignations this afternoon asthe term of the present assembly ended today. They were not present inthe House.

This is perhaps for the first time that a majority government hassought a confidence vote on simultaneous taneous sittings of the House.The Samajwadi Party government had gone for the trust vote on January25 last on the day of last sitting of the present session while itcarried out a similar exercise today.

The confidence vote of the government is the last major engagementof the assembly before the seven-phase polls slated in the statebetween April and May.

UNI

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