Congress won in the no-confidence motion vote,held at around 1-30 am on Saturday.
While 58 voted in favour of the TRS-sponsored no-confidence motion,142 voted against it and supported the government. 64 members were neutral. 25 members were not present in the Assembly.
Though the ruling party won the vote because of TDP and MIM abstaining, the voting clearly proved that the government fell into a minority as it fell short of simple majority in the 294-member house. Though the motion piloted by TRS leader Eetela Rajendra was lost, it got 58 votes as both the Congress and TDP dissident MLAs voted for the motion.
Soon after the result was announced, the Speaker Nadendla Manohar adjourned the house to meet again at 9 am on Saturday and left the house. Soon Congress MLAs gathered around the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy who won a no-confidence motion twice in his career and congratulated him.
Nine dissident MLAs of Congress including Jogi Ramesh, Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao, Buchepalli Siva Prasad Reddy, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Alla Nani and Maddala Rajesh voted against the government. Six TDP dissident MLAs — Kodali Nani, Praveen Kumar Reddy, Amaranath Reddy, Bala Nagireddy, K Vanita and Sai Raju also voted against the government.
Talking to the media at the media point after the house was adjourned, TRS leaders Eetela Ravinder and Harish Rao said though the government won technically, morally it was defeated as it has got only 142 votes in its favour.
Harish Rao said this clearly showed that the government lacked simple majority in a house of 294 members. He said the TDP chief Chandra Babu Naidu had saved the government because of a dark pact with the Congress. He said even the MIM members who were shouting against the government outside, had saved the government by abstaining from voting. He said if the TDP and MIM had voted against the government, Kiran government would have collapsed.
Stating that the TRS succeeded in proving that the Congress became a minority government, Harish Rao sarcastically said Kiran should now remove the photo of Sonia Gandhi and keep the photo of Chandra Babu Naidu in his office.
