Congress' no-confidence motion against Manohar Lal Khattar government defeated in Haryana assembly

Chandigarh: The Congress party lost the no-confidence motion it moved against the alliance government of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) government on Wednesday (March 10).

The motion was defeated as 55 members of the assembly voted against it, while only 32 opposition members backed it.

Speaker Gian Chand Gupta announced the final tally after a six-hour debate on the motion. The opposition's move came amid the ongoing protests by the farmers at the borders of the state, demanding the repeal of the three farm laws brought by the central government.

The 55 members who voted against the motion included 39 from the BJP, 10 of ally Jannayak Janta Party, five Independents and one from the Haryana Lokhit Party. 30 members of the Congress and two Independents, who had earlier withdrawn support, backed the motion.

"We know that we will not win the confidence of the Opposition but we will take this opportunity to win the confidence of the masses", said Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar addressing the assembly.

In the 90-member Haryana assembly, currently having an effective strength of 88 members, the ruling BJP has 40 members, the JJP 10 and the Congress 30. Seven are Independents, five of whom are supporting the government, while one member is of the Haryana Lokhit Party, which has also extended support to the government.

Earlier, Bhupinder Singh Hooda moved the motion alleging the BJP-JJP government has "lost public confidence" and has betrayed public opinion by taking anti-people decisions one after the other.