The day that counts: Find out what happens today

New Delhi: Facing the biggest political crisis in over four years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asserted on Monday that he was confident of winning the trust vote.

“I am 100 per cent confident that we will win this vote,” said Manmohan Singh.

Even after an intense day of debates, allegations and defensive arguments, Manmohan Singh seemed confident of sailing through the crisis.

“It is easy to put allegations. If they have a proof, they should keep it in front of us,” he said.

He also said that the allegations that the Government was not concerned about the common man were untrue and he said, “We are concerned about the rising prices. We are making serious efforts to control the prices. And we will succeed. So there is no question of our lack of interest in controlling inflation.”

Meanwhile, the political corridors are abuzz with speculations and guesses as to who is voting with the Government and who stands against it.

However, after Monday’s debate in the Parliament, the day that finally counts has come.

Here’s a look at what is expected in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

• House meets at eleven in the morning and resumes trust debate
• Several ailing MPs will arrive in stretchers and wheelchairs
• Rahul Gandhi is the star attraction and is expected to speak before 1 PM
• Kapil Sibal will be a key Congress Speaker
• Prime Minister's response is to begin at 4.30 PM and carry on for at least an hour
• Trust vote takes place at 6 PM but can be delayed by at least an hour
• No immediate disqualification of MP for voting against party's wishes

The trust vote process

Each MP is allotted a seat and each seat has a vote initiation switch and four push buttons. The green button indicates a yes, red for no, yellow for abstaining and amber for showing presence.

When alarm bell rings for voting, an MP has to simultaneously press the initiation switch and the push button off his/her choice.

The MP has to keep them pressed for ten seconds till bell rings again. In case of a mistake, the correct button can be pressed before the bell rings.

The result for each seat would be displayed and errors could be corrected with correction slips.

Original news source