The Karnataka units of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party moved their legislators to hotels in Bengaluru after the first day of the Assembly proceedings on Friday, ANI reported. The Monsoon Session will resume on Monday, even as the state government faces risk of losing its majority.
Congress MLAs were taken to Clarks Exotica Convention Resorts in Bengaluru. Security was tightened at the Taj Vivanta Hotel in Yeshwantpur on Friday night as some Congress MLAs were likely to be moved there to avoid poaching, News9 reported.
Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs are scheduled to stay at the Prestige Golfshire Club in Devanahalli near Bengaluru till Monday, according to News9.
BJP state unit chief BS Yeddyurappa said all party MLAs were moved to the hotel till Monday. BJP legislators were moved to the Ramada Hotel in the city, where the party has booked around 30 rooms for two days, according to ANI. Some BJP MLAs were booked into the Sai Leela Hotel in Rajankunte, News9 reported.
The rebel MLAs, who had moved to Mumbai after submitting their resignations, came to Bengaluru on Thursday evening to meet Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar. They flew back to Mumbai within hours, ignoring the whip issued by the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition leader Ganesh Hukkeri.
Hukkeri had said that the Assembly would discuss the Finance Bill among other matters and warned that absent MLAs would be disqualified under the anti-defection law.
Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court had asked the speaker to maintain the status quo on the resignations by rebel legislators from the ruling Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition and disqualification proceedings against some of them till it decides larger constitutional matters.
The ruling Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition faces the threat of losing its majority in the Assembly if the resignations are accepted as its current tally is 116 in the 224-member House. If the resignations of the 16 MLAs are accepted by the Speaker, the tally will be reduced to 100. Ten of them had approached the Supreme Court.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday said that he was ready to seek a trust vote to prove his government’s majority on the floor of the Legislative Assembly.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!