Karnataka Floor Test Live: Top Brass to Decide, Says Congress After Dy CM Doubts Full Tenure to Kumaraswamy

Congress MLAs Meet in Karnataka Assembly | Congress Legislative Party meeting underway in Vidhana Soudha.

Bengaluru: Congress Legislative Party meeting underway in Vidhana Soudha pic.twitter.com/IrYD37yo9V

— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2018

Kumaraswamy has dismissed reports about his party working out a power sharing formula of heading the government for 30 months each but Parameshwara said the Congress is still weighing options.

'Tenure of HD Kumarswamy as CM Will Be Decided by Cong High Command' | “We have to give a stable government and there are small issues in coalition government which will be solved as and when the time come. The main purpose is to keep BJP out of government. The decisions on the CM will be taken by our high command," says senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy.

Congress MLAs at Karnataka Assembly | Congress MLAs reach Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru ahead of floor test and election of assembly speaker 

Congress MLAs reach Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru ahead of floor test and election of assembly speaker #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/NdLiwjtDhN

— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2018

Karnataka DGP Neelamani Raju, who ‘irked’ Mamata Banerjee Transferred? | After West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her displeasure to the state's top police chief regarding the traffic outside Vidhana Soudha, Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Neelamani Raju was reportedly transferred, Financial Express reported. However, a state Home Ministry official said the transfer was nothing to do with the Mamata Banerjee issue but a regular police department affairs. Neelamani, who hails from Uttarakhand, is a 1983 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. In 2017, she was posted as the Karnataka DGP. 

Election for Karnataka Speaker on Friday Afternoon | Besides the floor test, the election for the Speaker’s post is also scheduled for Friday afternoon. Congress–JD(S) nominee KR Ramesh Kumar and BJP nominee S Suresh Kumar filed their nomination papers with the Legislative Assembly Secretariat on Thursday. According to a newspaper report, while MLA for Malleswaram CN Ashwathnarayan and MLA for Karkala V Sunil Kumar accompanied Suresh Kumar for filing of nomination papers, Ramesh Kumar was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other senior Congress leaders. Suresh Kumar has served as Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister in the BJP government, and Ramesh Kumar was the Speaker between 1994 and 1999.

Will BJP be Able to Repeat 'Operation Kamala'? | The 58-year-old Kumaraswamy, who was sworn in at a grand assembly of leaders of non-BJP parties on Wednesday, looks sitting pretty given the strength of the JD(S)-Congress-BSP coalition in the House. While the Congress has 78 MLAs, Kumaraswamy's JD(S) has 36, and BSP 1. The alliance has also claimed support of the lone KPJP MLA and an independent. Kumaraswamy had won from two constituencies. BJP's B S Yeddyurappa, who was sworn in as the chief minister on May 17, had stepped down two days later in the face of imminent defeat without going through the motions of a floor test. The 224-member Assembly has an effective strength of 221, as election for Jayanagar seat was countermanded following the death of the BJP candidate, and deferred in RR Nagar over allegations of electoral malpractices. After taking oath, Kumaraswamy had voiced confidence about winning the floor test, but said he had an apprehension that the BJP would try to repeat "Operation Kamala" to bring down his government.

JD(S) Members Meet Kumaraswamy Ahead of Floor Test | A bus with JD(S) leaders has arrived at Karnataka chief minister  HD Kumaraswamy's residence in Bengaluru hours ahead of floor test.

HD Kumaraswamy and DK Shivakumar to Meet Over RR Nagar Bypoll | The newly forged Congress-JD(S) alliance is facing teething troubles over the candidature for the Rajarajeshwarinagar Assembly constituency, reports The Hindu. The first round of talks between leaders of the coalition partners in the government on fighting elections together in Rajarajeshwarinagar constituency in Bengaluru failed to make headway, as the Congress nominee in the constituency declined to support the JD(S) candidate. The newspaper report stated sources said that after the floor test on Friday, another round of talks would be held between alliance leaders. HD Kumaraswamy and Congress leader DK Shivakumar will hold a meeting in this regard. The election in Bengaluru’s RR Nagar assembly constituency was deferred after the discovery of a huge cache of voter ID cards and other poll related documents from a flat. The election commission, in a notice, said that voting for the constituency will now be held on May 28 and the counting of votes will take place on May 31.

Were EVMs Tampered During Karnataka Assembly Election? | Parameshwara said he felt that there may be a possibility that EVMs were manipulated. He said the party has got information that in a few constituencies where there was 70-80 per cent Congress voters, there also BJP got the highest lead. "So there is a suspicion (about EVMs being manipulated)," he said. He said he was not complaining that EVMs were manipulated in all 222 constituencies that went to polls. Pointing out that his party had demanded ballot papers instead of EVMs ahead of the May 12 elections, Parameshwara said "In the days to come we will demand for ballot papers and we don't want EVMs."

What Will Happen After Karnataka Floor Test? | After the floor test Congress and JD(S) leaders along with the Chief Minister would sit together to decide on a coordination committee, Parameshwara said. "At the same time, we will form an empanelled group to formulate a common minimum programme," he said. Claiming that the party was not defeated in the election as Congress' vote share was more than the BJP, Parameshwara said a committee would formed and it would travel across the state and find reasons for the party's defeat. He, however, tried to put the blame on EVMs for the party's performance in some areas. "...there are several reasons that are being mentioned, some are even saying that EVMs were manipulated. We will get to know about these things when we go to the spot," he said.

CM HD Kumaraswamy All Set for Floor Test | "I have no tension, I am going to win clearly," he said.

I have no tension, I am going to win clearly: CM #HDKumaraswamy on today's floor test. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/b6VgoKniUy

— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2018

Is DK Shivakumar Unhappy for Not Being Picked Up as Deputy CM? | Asked about senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar being unhappy and holding a separate meeting with a few MLAs, Parameshwara said, "All MLAs are together and we will be successful in the floor test." "Discussions, group meetings may have happened or not, but above all the fact is that we are united. I can say only this," he added. Reports said Shivakumar, who was also a contender for the deputy chief minister's post, was unhappy with the party leadership. Shivakumar, who emerged as a key figure in keeping the party MLAs together before the trust vote of BJP's Yeddyurappa government, was reportedly upset over not getting the Deputy CM post. About his continuation as KPCC president, Parameshwara said he has not heard anything from the high command on the matter, but he might have to opt for one position.

Ahead of his swearing-in, Kumaraswamy had dismissed reports about his party working out a power-sharing formula of heading the government for 30 months each, with its coalition partner the Congress, saying "No such talks have taken place." Responding to a question about several leaders being unhappy over party's choice for the Deputy Chief Minister post and on issues relating to portfolios, Parameshwara said, no one has sought any position from him or Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

In an indication of irritants Kumaraswamy will likely face, Parameshwara said the coalition was yet to dissuss the tenure of the JD(S) leader as the chief minister. "We have not yet discussed those modalities," he said in response to a question about whether Kumaraswamy will be the chief minister for full five years. "We are also yet to decide on what portfolios have to go to them and what should be with us....then five-year term, whether they should be or we should also," he said.

Though HD Kumaraswamy will likely have a smooth sailing during the confidence vote, expanding the Cabinet may be a tough call for him. Senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar, who was widely credited with having kept the flock of party MLAs together amid claims of attempted poaching by the BJP, is reportedly not happy after being ignored for the deputy chief minister's post that went to the party's Dalit face G Parameshwara. "Is it the same for those who win one seat and those who win the state? I have not come to politics to take sanyas. I will play chess, not football," Shivakumar had said. 

Congress Legislature Party leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah exuded confidence about the coalition candidate's victory. “I got to know that the BJP has also filed nomination. I hope they will withdraw. If election happens, Ramesh Kumar's victory is certain," he said.

Unfazed by Yeddyurappa's unceremonious exit, the BJP has fielded its senior leader S Suresh Kumar, a fifth term MLA, for the post of the Speaker whose election will precede the trust vote. Ramesh Kumar of the Congress, too, filed his nomination for the post as the candidate of the ruling coalition. "Based on the strength of numbers and various other factors, our party leaders have confidence that I will win. With that confidence I have filed my nomination," the BJP candidate said, indicating that the saffron party was keen on giving the JD(S)-Congress alliance a run for its money. The BJP is the single largest party in the Assembly with 104 MLAs. When asked about his chances of winning, the BJP nominee said, "I have filed my nomination. There is election tomorrow (Friday) at 12:15 pm. After the election you will get to know."

The 224-member Karnataka Assembly has an effective strength of 221, as election for Jayanagar seat was countermanded following the death of the BJP candidate and deferred in RR Nagar over allegations of electoral malpractices. After taking oath, Kumaraswamy had voiced confidence about winning the floor test, but said he had an apprehension that the BJP would try to repeat "Operation Kamala" to bring down his government. The term ‘Operation Kamala’ or ‘Operation Lotus’ was coined in 2008, when the BJP state chief BS Yeddyurappa took over as the chief minister. The party was short of three MLAs for a simple majority. As part of ‘Operation Kamala’, named after the BJP's election symbol lotus, some Congress and JD(S) MLAs were persuaded to join the saffron party, relinquish their membership of the Assembly, and re-contest elections. Their resignations brought down the numbers required for a victory during the trust vote, which Yeddyurappa won.

The two-day-old HD Kumaraswamy government will prove its strength on the floor of the Karnataka Assembly at 12:15pm today. Kumaraswamy, who was sworn in at a grand assembly of opposition leaders on Wednesday, is in a comfortable position given the strength of the JD(S)-Congress-BSP coalition in the House. While the Congress has 78 MLAs, Kumaraswamy's JD(S) has 36, and the BSP has one. The alliance has also claimed support of the lone KPJP MLA and an Independent. The floor test comes almost a week after BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa ended his five-day run as CM without going through the motions of a trust vote. Hours before, Kumaraswamy said he was confident of winning the trust vote, but doubts expressed over his full tenure by Deputy CM Parameshwara have raised doubts over the durability of the JD(S)-Congress alliance.