Two independent MLAs - R Shankar (Ranebennur) and H Nagesh (Mulabagal) - have withdrawn support to the ruling JD(S) - Congress coalition in
Karnataka amid charges that the opposition BJP was engineering defections to topple the HD Kumaraswamy government.
Both announced their decision on Tuesday evening at a hotel in Mumbai, shortly after the Congress and JD-S accused the BJP of trying to lure ruling coalition MLAs under '
Operation Lotus', the name taken from a move by BS Yeddyurappa to save his BJP government in 2008.
"My support to coalition govt was to provide good&stable govt which utterly failed. There's is no understanding among coalition partners. So, I decided to go with BJP to install stable govt and see that govt performs better than the coalition," Nagesh told ANI.
Shankar has been upset with the government since he was dropped from the ministry last month.
Their resignation however will not hurt the government which has 118 MLAs on its side in the 224-member Assembly.
PTI quoted media reports saying six to eight Congress MLAs are ready to cross over to the BJP and that some lawmakers of the ruling coalition having gone incommunicado.
Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has said he enjoyed the support of 120 MLAs and alleged that Yeddyurappa was making "futile attempts" to destabilise his government.
In the 224-member Assembly, BJP has 104 members, Congress-79,
JDS 3 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each, besides Speaker. BSP, KPJP and an Independent are supporting the coalition
Meanwhile, the BJP has reportedly shifted its 104 Karnataka MLAs to a resort in Haryana's Nuh district near the national capital fearing poaching of its legislators by the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition.
(With inputs from agencies)