Yediyurappa has numbers to win Monday's trust vote

Yediyurappa is expected to prove majority and sail smoothly through the trust vote — the third one in just a year

Published: 29th July 2019 05:23 AM  |   Last Updated: 29th July 2019 05:23 AM   |  A+A A-

Ahead of Monday’s trust vote, Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar arrives at Vidhana Soudha on Sunday to address mediaperson

Ahead of Monday’s trust vote, Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar arrives at Vidhana Soudha on Sunday to address mediapersons | Shriram B N

By Express News Service

BENGALURU: The last time he was expected to move a confidence motion in May 2018, B S Yediyurappa chose to resign before the floor test. This time, however, Yediyurappa is all set to move a confidence motion on Monday and sail through it smoothly too.

Three days after he was sworn-in as the Chief Minister, BJP veteran and Lingayat strongman Yediyurappa will seek trust vote in a special sitting of the Karnataka legislative assembly. Monday’s session is also critical to ensure that the Finance bill is passed. 

With the disqualification of 17 MLAs of the Congress-JDS coalition, the strength of the assembly now stands at 208 with 105 being the simple majority. Interestingly, for BJP, that is the exact number of MLAs it has in the House, excluding an independent MLA who has backed the party as well. While a voice vote is expected to suffice to prove majority on Monday, even if the House went to the division of votes and assuming that no BJP MLA cross votes, Yediyurappa will have enough numbers to continue as the Chief Minister. 

ALSO READ: 105 will be Yediyurappa’s magic number

“After being sworn in as the Chief Minister, Yediyurappa requested me to convene the assembly on Monday. The vote on accounts sought by the previous establishment ends on July 31. If the appropriation bill isn’t passed before July 31, the government comes to a standstill,” said Ramesh Kumar, Karnataka assembly Speaker. 

With the Congress and JDS retired hurt after losing the confidence motion, BJP seems to be confident of its numbers. 

“I will, 100 per cent prove majority. After moving the confidence motion, we will first take up the finance bill. I have not changed even a comma or full stop in it. I will table the finance bill prepared by the (previous) Congress-JD(S) government,” Yediyurappa told reporters. 

While the JDS huddled up in a meeting with Deve Gowda, Congress decided to hold a legislative party meeting on Monday. The BJP, however, held a legislative party meeting on Sunday to get its MLAs together and run a confidence-building activity. “We have no doubts that Yediyurappa will prove majority. All our 105 MLAs are with us,” said C Ravikumar, MLC, BJP and General Secretary of the party. 
Adding fuel to allegations that the BJP was backing the rebellion brewing in the coalition, the legislative party seems to have also decided that they will support the rebel ex-MLAs in their legal battle.