Yeddyurappa has 15 days to prove majority: One chart to explain his options

Karnataka chief minister Yeddyurappa says he will be in power for five years, but how is going to win the floor test.

Karnataka Elections 2018 Updated: May 17, 2018 14:58 IST
Bharatiya Janata Party workers in Hubballi celebrate the swearing-in of new Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday. (PTI)

Bharatiya Janata Party leader B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday he “will win the majority and be in power for the next five years” after he was sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka.

He, however, declined to elaborate how the BJP would prove his majority on the floor of the House, saying the issue was being heard at the Supreme Court. He was referring to the Congress party’s Thursday-night appeal in the Supreme Court challenging Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala’s decision to invite to form Karnataka’s new government and prove his majority in 15 days.

The BJP won 104 seats, the Congress 78, and Janata Dal(Secular) plus an ally 38 seats in the Karnataka elections, throwing up a hung Assembly. The BJP is still eight seats short of the 112-halfway mark needed for a simple majority in the 224-member Assembly. Here is a chart explaining what the BJP could do to prove its majority in Karnataka assembly.

Breaking the rivals: BJP’s options
The BJP camp has 105 legislators, including an independent MLA. Here are ways in which it can pass the floor test with that strength:
Option 1:
Force abstentions
  • Get 13 legislators from rival camp to abstain from voting, bringing down the House strength — calculated by taking into account those present and voting — to 209
  • The majority mark for 209 is 105, the BJP’s strength
  • In this case, the rebels will be disqualified from their parties and their seats will head for by-election
Option 2:
Split parties
  • Factions from Congress and JD(S) can merge with the BJP only if they are two-thirds of their camps in order to not be disqualified under the anti-defection law
  • The rebellion will thus need to be by 52 Congress MLAs or 24 of JD(S)
  • In such a case, BJP will have either 157 or 129 MLAs, well past the majority mark