Bengaluru: The resignation of 11 Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs has set the ground for the BJP to move a no-confidence motion against the H.D. Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka.
The Karnataka Assembly is scheduled to meet on 12 July and the BJP expects more resignations to follow in the coming days.
The MLAs who have resigned are A.H. Vishwanath (JDS), Mahesh Kumthalli (Congress), B.C. Patil (Congress), Ramesh Jarkiholi (Congress), Shivaram Hebbar (Congress), Narayan Gowda (JDS), Gopaliah (JDS), S.T. Somashekar (Congress), Ramalinga Reddy (Congress), Pratap Gouda Patil (Congress) and Byrathi Basavaraj (Congress).
Sources said eight MLAs have boarded a flight and left for Mumbai.
The Congress and JD(S) together have 116 members in the 224-member Assembly where 113 is the majority mark. The BJP has 105 members in the House.
BJP leaders say the number in the legislative Assembly will fall to a point where its 105-member strength becomes a majority.
The BJP will look to ensure that the Assembly’s strength is reduced to at least 208 by which its 105 is adequate to form the next government, sources said. The BJP requires at least half a dozen more resignations from the ruling coalition.
“We are fairly convinced that we will get the support of at least 6 more Congress and JD(S) legislators because they are all waiting to jump ship,’ a senior BJP leader told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
The leader added: “We don’t want mid-term elections in Karnataka. We are quite confident that we will be able to comfortably govern the state if a situation arises when Kumarasamy government falls.”
Former BJP chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has also said repeatedly that there is likely to be no mid-term elections in the state.
Also read: Kumaraswamy refuses to work for Modi voters – a sign of frustrated, undemocratic opposition?
‘This is not Operation Kamala’
In Belgavi, union minister Pralhad Joshi of BJP told reporters that this is not “Operation Kamala”, referring to the 2008 episode when opposition legislators defected to stabilise the Yeddyurappa government.
“Recently there was a cabinet reshuffle and instead of accommodating both partners in the government, the JD (S) included only their own people. Many were upset,” Joshi said. “Now, we are seeing a headless Congress party, its aftershocks are being seen here.”
Eight MLAs known to have been keen to join BJP
Among the 11 MLAs who submitted their resignations to the Speaker, eight are widely known to have been eager to join the BJP for some time. But, the remaining three are seen to be staunch loyalists of either the Congress or former Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah.
It is still not clear whether the Congress MLAs — former minister Ramalinga Reddy, Bangalore Development Authority Chairman S.T. Somashekhar and Byrathi Basavaraj — have sent their resignations to settle scores with leaders in the Congress or they have also jumped to the BJP.
All these three MLAs were escorted out of the Vidhan Soudha by Congress troubleshooter and minister D.K. Shivakumar. This was after Shivakumar went to the Speaker’s chambers where the rebel MLAs were present and even tore up Basavaraj’s resignation letter.
Speaker Ramesh Kumar has made it clear that he would take a call on the resignation letters once he returns to the state capital from his constituency Srinivaspura, in Kolar district, where he has gone to fulfill his official and personal commitments.
The most interesting part of the political development has been the statement of Vishwanath, who until last week was the president of the state unit of the JD(S).
Vishwanath has said the reason “for this tough decision is that the coalition government has failed to meet the aspirations of the people. That’s why today voluntarily I have resigned against the misgovernance of the government.”
Also read: 5 reasons why BJP, Congress or JD(S) can’t take Karnataka voters for granted