CHANDIGARH, Dec. 20 -- The much-touted no-confidence motion brought by the Congress against chief minister Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana was defeated through a voice vote on Friday after the principal Opposition party MLAs walked out of the House following an acrimonious debate that continued beyond 10pm.

The Congress motion was set to fall as in the 90-member House, the BJP has 48 MLAs, including the Speaker, while three Independents are also supporting the ruling party. The Congress has 37 members, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has two.

The heated debate on the no-confidence motion, during which members across the aisle took potshots at each other, began at 5.23pm. Members spoke till 8.23pm, after which ch...