For the first time in its history, the Assam Assembly on February 23 witnessed voting with ballot paper while deciding the fate of a private member's resolution brought in by Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi.
The resolution on irrigation system was rejected by just nine votes.
Out of 77 MLAs in the BJP-led alliance, the Government garnered 39 votes. 30 votes were polled in favour of the resolution from 47 opposition MLAs, including five Congress members with allegiance to the Government.
Earlier, the resolution was put to voice vote and Speaker Biswajit Daimary said the resolution was rejected. Mr. Gogoi and other Opposition members, including Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, claimed that the ruling party did not have the numbers during the voice vote and demanded proper voting.
The polling
Mr. Daimary then adjourned the House for 10 minutes, saying that voting would take place and the Assembly Secretariat would require time to prepare for the polling on the resolution.
The House resumed after 30 minutes. During this half-an-hour, BJP MLA Diganta Kalita was seen doing a headcount of the ruling side on a piece of paper. Mr. Gogoi was also seen going to almost every member with folded hands.
As soon as the House met, the Speaker again conducted a voice vote with a higher number of treasury bench MLAs this time and announced rejection of the resolution.
However, the entire Opposition protested this and said that Mr. Daimary had already announced a vote and the decision should not be altered.
The Speaker then accepted their demand, ordered locking of the House doors and asked Assembly Principal Secretary Hemen Das to conduct the poll. Mr. Das then explained the process to the legislators.
Accordingly, the House staff distributed ballot slips to every member, who ticked in their choices and deposited the same in the ballot box.
Deputy Leader of Congress Legislature Party Rakibul Hussain appealed to the Speaker to allow the Chief Whip of the parties to see the votes of their MLAs according to the Anti-Defection Law.
Immediately after this, Congress MLAs Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and Basanta Das, who recently announced to "support the Government" without leaving the grand old party, silently walked out of the House while the voting was undergoing.
The Principal Secretary and his colleagues counted the votes on his table inside the House and submitted the result to the Speaker. "As per the result sheet, ayes received 30 votes, nays got 39 and there was zero abstain. As nays received higher votes, the resolution is rejected," Mr. Daimary said.
The resolution sought to make Assam a 12-month cultivating State by supplying water to the fields at all times.
First time ever
When contacted, three retired Principal Secretaries of the Assam Assembly told PTI that neither Government nor private resolutions have gone to the extent of ballot voting while deciding their acceptance or rejection.
"In most of the cases, it is decided by a simple voice vote. On some rare occasions, some resolutions have seen the raising of hands by the members while deciding their fates. However, ballot voting never took place in case of rejection of a resolution," a former Principal Secretary said.
Officially, the BJP's strength in the 126-member Assam Assembly is 61, while its allies UPPL has seven MLAs and AGP has nine.
In the Opposition camp, the Congress' strength is 27, AIUDF has 15 members, BPF has three and CPI(M) has one MLA. There is one Independent legislator also.
