Shivraj Singh Chouhan

At least 14 migrant labourers from Madhya Pradesh, who were sleeping on rail tracks, were mowed down by a goods train near Karmad station in Aurangabad district in Maharashtra in the early hours of Friday.

For almost a month, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been running a one-person Cabinet, even as the state battles rising number of novel coronavirus cases.

"We are going to start economic activities from April 20 under the guidelines of the Centre. Several activities including construction and repairing of roads, labour work under the MGNREGA are going to be started," the CM said in his video address to the state.

Madhya Pradesh has so far reported 730 COVID-19 cases with 50 deaths.

Earlier, Kamal Nath had accused the BJP government at the Centre of delaying action to combat the pandemic to topple the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh

As the special session of the state Assembly began, Chouhan moved a one-line proposal to seek trust of the House, which was endorsed by members through the voice vote.

Three sittings will be held during the four-day session, an official from the Assembly secretariat said late Monday night.

BJP leaders said three time chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was the frontrunner though names of former state minister Narottam Mishra, who played a key role in dislodging the Nath government, and Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar are also doing the rounds.

The Supreme Court on March 19 directed the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker N P Prajapati to convene a special session on March 20 for conducting the floor test which must conclude by 5 pm.

Chouhan's statement came hours after the apex court asked the state government to give by Wednesday its response to his plea seeking a direction for an immediate floor test.

A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud said that it will issue the notice to the state government and others, including the secretary of the legislative assembly, for tomorrow at 10.30 am.

The plea alleged that all possible attempts are being made by Nath to convert "his minority government into majority by giving all possible threats, allurements to the members of the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha".

The plea has been filed against the recent political developments and alleged that the direction of Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tondon to the chief minister for conducting a floor test on March 16 has not been complied with, the lawyer said.

From the Madhya Pradesh BJP office, Scindia reached the state Assembly secretariat around 2 pm and submitted his papers to the returning officer, Vidhan Sabha principal secretary A P Singh.

Chouhan said to demolish Lanka (kingdom of Ravan) one needs Vibhishan, the younger brother of the demon king who deserted Ravan and sided with Lord Ram in the battle in the ancient Hindu epic.

In a late-night political drama in Madhya Pradesh on March 3, the Congress claimed that the opposition BJP took eight MLAs to a hotel in Haryana as part of a conspiracy to topple the Congress government.

At a press conference in Jaipur, BJP national vice president Shivraj Singh Chouhan alleged that the Congress was trying to create confusion among people over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and NRC.

“Modi has come as God for migrants whose lives were not safe, who lived in an environment of instability and who used to say that they will die but will not return to Pakistan. They have got a new lease of life,” the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said at a press conference here.

He said the Kamal Nath government, which completed one year in office two days ago, is "suppressing" the voice of people and criticised police "cane-charge" on protesting Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers.

On West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee, he said people now want to say "Didi ko chhoro" (leave Mamata).