Stage is set for the Speaker N. Manohar to serve notices on the 16 congress MLAs and one PRP MLA on their disqualification for defying whip during the voting on no-confidence motion.

After the congress leadership lodged a complaint against the MLAs on their defiance of whip, Manohar paid a trip to Delhi and met with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari and acquainted himself with the procedures and rules applied on disqualification of some MPs during the tenure of CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee as Speaker.

The most interesting aspect of the disqualification part is that of PRP MLA Sobha Nagi Reddy who has been arguing that PRP leadership has no authority to complain against her as the party has been merged with the congress.

However, PRP leadership argues that the merger has not been completed in the assembly and she must be disqualified since she remained a PRP member at the time of voting on the no confidence motion. (JUBS)