Karnataka stalemate continues, trust vote on Monday

BENGALURU: Political stalemate continued in Karnataka with the assembly adjourning on Friday without concluding whether the JDS-Congress government enjoyed a majority, in defiance of governor VR Vala’s deadlines for chief minister HD Kumaraswamy to seek a trust vote.

Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar adjourned the House until 11 am on Monday. Meanwhile, the governor is learnt to have sent a report to the Union home ministry about the political situation which, according to a letter he sent to the chief minister, suggested “a very sorry state of affairs”.

Opposition BJP MLAs continued their protest in the house on Friday, demanding that the motion of confidence on the Kumaraswamy government be put to vote during the day as sought by the governor. Several members of the ruling coalition said since they too want to speak on the motion, the voting be scheduled for Tuesday.

The Speaker agreed to adjourn the house to Monday after Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah said since there were about 20 members to speak on the motion, their right should be respected. The Speaker conceded to the request after the Congress leader gave a commitment that they would help complete the process of voting on Monday.

Meanwhile, soon after the CM missed the 1:30 pm deadline set by the governor to prove his majority on the floor of the House, Vala sent him a second letter asking him to seek the floor test by the end of the day. “I have already expressed my prima facie satisfaction that you have lost the majority confidence of the house,” the governor said, and urged the CM to speed up the floor test as he was in receipt of reports of horse trading.

The Speaker had earlier ignored a suggestion from the governor to conclude the voting on Thursday, following which Vala sent a letter to the CM, setting the Friday 1.30 pm deadline. Congress and JDS were in no mood to end the voting process on Friday as they appeared to wait for a clarification from the SC on their powers to issue whip under the 10th schedule of the Constitution, in light of the court’s interim order on Wednesday restraining them from compelling their rebel MLAs to attend the House.

Resignations of 15 Congress and JDS members have effectively reduced the strength of the House from 224 members to 209, even though the Speaker has yet to officially accept the resignations. The BJP’s strength has gone up to 107 after two independents, who were earlier supporting the Kumaraswamy government, switched their loyalties. On Friday, 20 members — 14 Congress, 3 JDS, one BSP and two independents — abstained from the assembly. Of them, B Nagendra (Ballari Rural) is in a hospital and has offered to attend the House during voting.