Having reached a truce with rebel Congress MLAs, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Monday won the first test of strength with party nominee Govind Singh Kunjwal, a loyalist of Harish Rawat, defeating the BJP candidate for the post of Assembly Speaker.

Kunjwal, 67, defeated by 8 votes BJP's Harbans Kapoor. He got 39 votes and Kapoor bagged 31 votes from the total 70 votes polled, protem Speaker Shailendra Mohan Singhal informed the House.

All the three independents, Pritam Singh Panwar, the lone member of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and three members of the BSP voted in favour of Kunjwal.

"We have won our first major test through the successful election of the speaker. Now there is no need to bring a separate trust vote," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh said.

She said the government is bringing a vote on account, which is a money bill, on March 29, the passage of which should also be seen as a trust vote.

Moreover, there is Rajya Sabha election on March 30 where the victory of Congress candidate Mahendra Singh Mahra looks certain now, she said adding this will also be a proof of the majority of the new Congress government.

In addition to this, Hridayesh said Governor Margaret Alva is also satisfied with the numbers of the ruling party in the house. "The governor has also not asked us to prove majority in the house," Hridayesh said.

The victory margin of Congress candidate is being seen as convincing now since BJP failed to muster more votes than the strength of its total 31 members in the house.

However, Congress sources said in case BJP wants to bring a separate no confidence vote, it was free to do that. MORE PTI DPT VMN