Stealing a mandate : On Madhya Pradesh crisis(The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2:Polity 
Prelims level:  Legislative assembly
Mains level:Disqualifications of MLAs and its effect 

Context:

• The impending change of guard in Madhya Pradesh is on the back of a disgraceful betrayal of the popular mandate of 2018 when the Congress defeated the BJP that was in power for three consecutive terms. 
• Jyotiraditya Scindia’s vault from the Congress to its antithesis, the BJP, set the ball rolling for the unravelling of Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s government earlier in March. 
• With the resignation of 22 of its MLAs from the Assembly, the Congress was reduced to a minority, with 92 members. 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL EDITORIAL (Only for Course Members)

The half way mark:

• The resignations brought down the halfway mark to 104 and now, the BJP, with 106, can claim a majority as it is doing right now. 
• The BJP legislature party is expected to elect former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its leader who is likely to form the new government this week. 
• Mr. Nath tried to salvage his government by buying time to woo back the defectors but the Supreme Court ordered that a floor test be held on Friday. 
• His decision to submit the resignation before forcing a vote in the Assembly was appropriate. Luring back the defectors by dubious means would have been no less dishonourable than the defections. 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL EDITORIAL (Only for Course Members)

Moral and Political legitimacy:

• Although the BJP is within its rights to stake claim, in the interest of moral and political legitimacy, it could have waited until after by-elections are held to these seats and either of the parties establishes a clear majority.
• But a disturbing new mechanism of usurping power that is not won through an election, perfected by the BJP in recent years, has no such restraint. 
• The party engineered the resignations of Congress and JD(S) MLAs and returned to power in Karnataka last year. 
• The BJP took power on the claim of majority in a truncated legislature, and had the advantage of being the ruling party when the by-elections were held. 
• It had used the same strategy earlier and there are indications that it might be tried in some other States too in the coming weeks. 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL EDITORIAL (Only for Course Members)

Conclusion:

• The recurrence of this model across States makes this an unhealthy pattern and a fresh challenge to clean politics. 
• The legal and moral implications of mass resignations of MLAs to upend an electoral verdict need to be examined at the political and judicial levels.
• BJP played by the book, but a new govt. will lack moral legitimacy without winning bypolls.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL EDITORIAL (Only for Course Members)

Online Coaching for UPSC PRE Exam

General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the Premium subsidy sharing pattern (Agriculture), consider the following statements:

1. Premium subsidy sharing pattern between Centre & North Eastern states changed from 50:50 to 90:10. 
2. It will allow more States to notify the scheme and existing States to notify more crops and areas to facilitate greater coverage of farmers under the scheme.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer................................

CLICK HERE FOR FULL EDITORIAL (Only for Course Members)

Mains Questions:
Q.1)What are the differences between resignation and disqualification of MLAs?