Ready for floor test; 22 MLAs held captive: Kamal Nath tells Governor

New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Friday requested Governor Lalji Tandon to hold a floor test of the government in the Assembly session starting from March 16 on a date fixed by the Speaker, and approach the Union Home Minister for the release of 19 MLAs "held in captivity" in Bengaluru.

In a related development, the Governor expelled six ministers — Imarti Devi, Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Pardyuman Singh Tomar and Prabhuram Chaudhary — from the Cabinet on the recommendation of the Chief Minister.

The Bhopal administration has imposed Section 144 at the airport on Friday as BJP, Congress supporters gathered in large numbers, three days after the political crisis erupted in the state. Soon after, a large deployment of Madhya Pradesh police personnel was seen outside the airport in order to avoid further clashes.

Legislators of both the parties — BJP and Congress — had gathered at Raja Bhoj Airport after they got to know that MLAs supporting Jyotiraditya Scindia were returning from Bengaluru.

However, the 19 rebel Congress MLAs, including six ministers, cancelled the plan to return to Bhopal from Bengaluru at the last minute, a former Congress leader in the state said.

Earlier, Nath met Tandon at around 11 am and submitted the three-page letter in which he expressed his readiness to hold the floor test during the Budget session beginning from March 16.