BENGALURU: The collapse of the 13-month old JD(S)-Congress regime in Karnataka looked imminent on Saturday after sections of the
Congress and JD(S) MLAs trooping to the Speaker’s office in Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru to quit their Assembly membership.
Quite a few were able to successfully submit their papers, but others could not as Speaker Ramesh Kumar left his office to visit a hospital. He apparently took a private car to evade the media
The number is expected to cross 15 by evening, which will pave way for the BJP to stake claim to form the government. BJP State president
BS Yeddyurappa has stepped up activities to claim stake to form the party’s government. He has called for an emergency press conference.
About eight members of both parties are said to have already quit, and the number appears to be swelling as the day progressed. Seven-time Congress MLA and former minister Ramalinga Reddy confirmed he was quitting on his way to the Speaker’s office. His MLA-daughter Sowmya Reddy would also resign.
Not all MLAs who visited Vidhana Soudha, however, confirmed that they quit. Nor did the Speaker’s office issue any clarification. The MLAs, however, privately confirmed their resignation. It is not quite clear, however, if some Congress MLAs have kept their resignations “open ended” -- meaning they would withdraw if their party were to offer them ministership.
The Congress is likely to step up its efforts to persuade the MLAs who have resigned to withdraw their resignations promising them of ministerial positions. The coalition regime may take the drastic step of taking everyone’s resignation to restructure the entire ministry in an effort to save the regime.
Chief Minister
HD Kumaraswamy and his two Cabinet colleagues are away in the US. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao is also overseas on a private trip. So any crucial decision is unlikely till the CM returns.
The disgruntled MLAs teamed up together, and timed their resignations in a coordinated manner which caught the JD(S) and Congress camp by surprise. Each has his or her own resign to quit. Hunsur JD(S) MLA H.Vishwanath, who till the other day headed the JD(S) State unit, quit to settle scores against former CM Siddaramaiah, who heads the JD(S)-Congress Coordination council. The JD(S) is said to have lost three MLAs.
Three close aides of Siddaramaiah are also said to have quit: ST Somashekar, Byrathi Basavaraju and Munirathna.