Speaker Ramesh Kumar said he would “need a couple of days” to decide on the disqualification of 15 more MLAs against whom complaints were filed.Karnataka K R Ramesh Kumar Thursday disqualified three rebel Congress MLAs under the anti-defection law for anti-party activities, including association with the BJP to bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in a trust vote two days ago.
Those disqualified are R Shankar, who was elected as an Independent from Rannebennur before joining the Congress in June after being made a minister, and Ramesh Jharkiholi of Gokak and his associate Mahesh Kumatahalli of Athani in Belagavi, who were dissidents in the party for over 12 months.
The disqualification under the tenth schedule of the Constitution means the three will be stripped of their status as legislators and not be able to contest an election during the remaining 46-month term of the current Assembly, the Speaker said. The MLAs have the option of legally challenging the decision.
The disqualified members will also not be able hold any Constitutional position in the current Assembly, which effectively bars them from becoming ministers if the BJP forms a government.
The three MLAs were among 15 Congress and three JD(S) MLAs against whom disqualification pleas were moved by their parties over the last couple of weeks in the wake of their alleged association with the BJP and efforts to topple the coalition.
Speaker Ramesh Kumar said he would “need a couple of days” to decide on the disqualification of 15 more MLAs against whom complaints were filed.
As many as 16 of the MLAs facing disqualification also submitted their resignations to the Speaker, leading to the collapse of the ruling coalition. Many of the MLAs were allegedly convinced into resigning by BJP leaders with the assurance that they would not face disqualification.
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On Thursday, the Speaker said he had rejected the resignation letters given by Jharkhikoli and Kumatahalli after finding evidence of their alleged involvement in anti-party activities.
The BJP, which won the trust vote Tuesday, has been waiting for clarity on the resignations of the Congress and JD(S) MLAs to stake a claim to form the new government.
“There is still no clarity on the numbers in the legislative assembly because 15 Congress and three JD(S) MLAs are still members of the House despite disqualification proceedings. Till they are disqualified or their resignations are accepted by the Speaker, the high command would not like to stake a claim,’’ a BJP legislator said.
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The BJP defeated the confidence vote moved by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in a truncated house of 205 members. The BJP, with 105 MLAs, defeated the coalition which had only 99 of its original base of 119 MLAs — 79 Congress, 37 JD(S), 1 BSP and 2 Independents — in attendance.
With the disqualification of the three MLAs, the strength of the Assembly is now 221 with a simple majority of 112.
