The Karnataka Assembly will discuss the confidence motion moved by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy at 11 am on July 18, Congress leader Siddaramaiah said on Monday, according to PTI. Kumaraswamy had on Friday offered to move the motion to prove that his coalition government has the numbers to stay in power.
Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar adjourned the Assembly till July 18, News9 reported.
The coalition of the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) is perilously close to losing its majority, as 16 of its legislators have stepped down since the start of this month. With their resignations yet to be accepted, Kumaraswamy asked Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar to fix a date and time for the floor test. The coalition has been busy trying to win back its MLAs’ support for nearly 10 days.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has said it is ready for the floor test, as it believes the government has lost its majority. The party has called for Kumaraswamy to resign.
After the floor test was scheduled, the BJP moved its MLAs to a resort. The rebel MLAs are staying at a hotel in Mumbai. Fifteen of them have filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the delay by the Speaker in accepting their resignations. The court will continue hearing their plea on Tuesday.
If the ruling coalition fails to pacify them before the trust vote, the government will have the support of only 100 MLAs. The BJP will have the support of 107 MLAs. With a reduced size of 207, the majority mark will drop to 104.
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