'Congress wins Uttarakhand trust vote'

The Congress-led by ousted Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat won the trust vote in the state assembly on Tuesday, a party legislator said.

Sarita Arya, the legislator from Nainital constituency, told a private TV channel that the "Congress has won".

She claimed that Rawat secured 33 votes while 28 went against him.

The assembly proceedings were videographed on the order of the Supreme Court. The voting result will be declared officially by the top court on Wednesday.

A beaming Rawat didn't comment on the voting result but thanked the "Supreme Court, democratic forces and people of Uttarakhand" for supporting him. "Uttarakhand will be victorious tomorrow," Rawat told reporters.

Prohibitory orders were clamped around the assembly premises ahead of the trust vote.

Uttarakhand has been under President's Rule since March 27 when the Congress government was dismissed by the central government citing mis-governance in the hill state.

President's Rule was lifted for two hours, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesday for the floor test.

The 70-member Uttarakhand assembly has been reduced to only 62 -- including one nominated member -- after the Supreme Court upheld the disqualification of nine Congress rebel legislators.

The Congress has 27 members and the BJP 28. There are six from the PDF.

--IANS

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