BENGALURU: After going incommunicado for almost two months and refusing to turn up even for Legislative party meets, rebel MLAs of the Congress — Ramesh Jarkiholi and B Nagendra met Congress legislative party leader Siddaramaiah. The Gokak and Ballari MLAs, who finally turned up to the budget session on Wednesday, met Siddaramaiah, albeit too late, in response to his notice asking them to appear and provide reasons for their absence.

The other two rebel MLAs, Chincholi's Umesh Jadhav and Athani's Mahesh Kumathalli were not part of the meeting.The duo's visit has come after the Congress decided to approach Speaker Ramesh Kumar with a petition to disqualify them from the House. “Even if they request the party to withdraw the petition, it is too late. The ball is now in the Speaker's court,” Siddaramaiah told reporters in the legislative assembly on Wednesday.According to sources, the legislators have agreed to toe the party's line, but only for now.

The MLAs, once regarded as Siddaramaiah loyalists, have agreed to set their differences with the incumbent coalition government aside until the elections. The Speaker is yet to act on the petition submitted by Congress and issue notices.

Sources suggest that the four MLAs can’t be held in violation of the whip since they were present in the House on the day the finance bill came up for voting. While some suggest that it was a strategy by the rebel MLAs to safeguard themselves from disqualification, other in the party looked at it as a moral victory of the Congress for having roped in its legislators back. Realising that they do not have enough numbers to make a dent in the coalition just yet, the rebel MLAs have now agreed to work with the party albeit from a distance.