Keeping up with UP: The day when UP had 2 CMs and the Governor held sway

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court ordered a composite floor test in the Uttar Pradesh assembly to decide who commanded the majority, and Kalyan Singh emerged victorious.

Over the next 48 hours, Pal’s 22-member faction returned its support to Kalyan Singh as the state had two chief ministers from February 21/22 to February 23, 1998.

Around 10:30 pm on February 21, 1998, Pal was sworn in with his cabinet, beginning a period where two governments claimed control as loyalties shifted.

In February 1998, Jagdambika Pal’s Loktantrik Congress Party submitted its letter of support for a government to governor Romesh Bhandari on February 20, 1998, signaling a potential shift in the balance of power.

Following the President’s stance, the governor and the government reversed their decision regarding President’s Rule and the constitutional crisis continued to unfold.

The BJP paraded 222 MLAs before President KR Narayanan the next day. The President urged reconsideration of invoking Article 356 and signaled he would seek legal advice if the government persisted with the move.

Bhandari conceded the Opposition’s demand for the government’s dismissal, with a Cabinet in Delhi recommending the imposition of President’s Rule under Article 356 and the dissolution of the state assembly.

In October 1997, Kalyan Singh managed to prove his majority after chaos in the Vidhan Sabha, as opposition groups fractured and realigned.

Governor Bhandari gave chief minister Singh 36 hours to prove his majority on the floor of the House and, in a rare move, appointed three independent observers to record the proceedings.

A reluctant Mayawati handed over the baton of power to Kalyan Singh after six months but withdrew support within 20 days, triggering renewed instability and prompting the governor to take action.

The assembly was put in abeyance and President’s rule was imposed until March 1997, when the BSP-BJP formed an alliance; a government by rotation was formed with Mayawati serving as chief minister for the first six months.

Governor Romesh Bhandari refused to invite Singh, citing a lack of a majority claim or a workable combination. He stated that no party, including the BJP as the single largest party, had majority. He set an October 17 deadline to explore possibilities for government formation and noted that stability must be proven to be acceptable. He cited precedents and the idea that a floor test would determine majority.

In the 1996 mid-term assembly polls, the BJP won 174 seats, emerging as the single largest party in a 424-member house in undivided Uttar Pradesh. The BJP failed to muster support from any political party in a hung house. Chief ministerial candidate Kalyan Singh staked his claim to form the government. The BJP argued that the floor test was mandatory to prove a majority and could not be decided by the governor at Raj Bhavan.

The 1996 Lok Sabha polls resulted in a hung house with the BJP getting 161 seats and later mustering support from some regional parties. Vajpayee was invited to form the government, but resigned after 13 days because he failed to prove his government's majority.