Karnataka crisis: Kumaraswamy resigns as CM after Congress-JD(S) coalition loses majority by 6 votes

10.33 pm: “BJP has done everything to cause problems to us but this is Kamal Nath’s government not Kumaraswamy’s,” Madhya Pradesh minister Jitu Patwari says, according to ANI. “They will have to take seven births to do horse trading in this government.”

9.47 pm: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has expelled Karnataka MLA N Mahesh for not voting for the coalition during the floor test. “By violating the party high command order to vote in favour of the Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka, BSP legislator N Mahesh was absent during the trust vote today, which is indiscipline and the party has considered it seriously,” Mayawati says in a tweet.

9.40 pm: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the BJP will not cause the fall of the state government, ANI reports. “Congress leaders themselves have been responsible for fall of their governments,” he says. “There is an internal conflict in Congress, and support of Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party, if something happens to that then we can’t do anything.”

9.23 pm: Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa says he will discuss with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah before meeting the governor. “We are going to have a legislature party meet now,” he tells ANI.

9.08 pm: Congress leader KC Venugopal says the nefarious joint efforts of the central government, governor, state government of Maharashtra and central BJP leadership brought down the coalition government in Karnataka, reports ANI. He adds that the Congress party will hold nationwide protests against the “immoral, blatant and brazen political destabilisation carried out by the Bharatiya Janata Party”.

8.57 pm: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala accepts HD Kumaraswamy’s resignation as the chief minister. Vala asks Kumaraswamy to continue as the caretaker chief minister.

8.27 pm: Visuals from the Karnataka Assembly after the trust vote.

8.25 pm: The BJP will meet Governor Vajubhai Vala and stake claim to form the government on Wednesday, says BJP leader R Ashoka, according to News9. He adds that he is sure Yeddyurappa will become the next chief minister.

8.22 pm: “Truth will prevail and democracy will ultimately win,” says Congress.

8.19 pm: BJP leaders in Karnataka celebrate the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular)’s loss of majority in the House.

8.17 pm: BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje claims “democracy has won”.

8.15 pm: BJP supporters celebrate at the party office in Bengaluru.

8.14 pm: BJP leader Jagadish Shettar says rebel MLAs will have to decide whether they want to join BJP, ANI reports.

8.11 pm: Rebel MLAs are expected to return to Bengaluru on Wednesday, reports News9. They have been staying at a hotel in Mumbai for around 10 days.

8.10 pm: It is clearly evident that BJP leaders are behind this “disgusting political game plan”, claims Siddaramaiah. “People are not fools to not understand this [and] they will teach BJP leaders a great lesson in the coming elections. How is it right to destabilize stable [government] for their selfish reasons? Service to public is the only motivation for us to enter politics. It is not a job but a passion. If we don’t have an ideology, there will be no point of being in public space. I believe in the Constitution & it envisages social justice for all which is also my vision.”

8.08 pm: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claims the people’s mandate was for the Congress and JD(S) coalition. “People’ mandate was for our alliance even if we consider the vote share,” he writes on Twitter. “Both our parties together got 54.44% votes. We did form the alliance based on this mandate.”

“BJP did not get the majority both in terms of seat or vote share in 2018 elections but inspite of this, [BS Yeddyurappa] took oath but failed to prove the majority,” he adds. “Had he got little more time, he would have operated back then only.”

8.03 pm: The failure of the trust vote is because of the “betrayal” of the party’s legislatures, says Congress leader HK Patil. “This defeat is because of betrayal of our party legislatures, we have come under the influence of various things. I am sure people of Karnataka will not tolerate this type of betrayal to the party,” he says.

8.02 pm: HD Kumaraswamy is on his way to meet Governor Vajubhai Vala.

8 pm: “People were fed up with Kumaraswamy’s government,” Yeddyurappa says. “I want to assure the people of Karnataka [that a] new era of development will start now onwards.” He adds that the new government will focus on farmers’ problems.

7.57 pm: “It is the victory of democracy,” says Bharatiya Janata Party Karnataka chief BS Yeddyurappa.

7.55 pm: Visuals of the Assembly soon after the Congress-JD(S) coalition lost its majority.

7.54 pm: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti calls it a “black day” for democracy.

7.51 pm: Kumaraswamy is expected to submit his resignation to Governor Vajubhai Vala soon.

7.49 pm: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy says: “This is all a part of politics”, according to the Hindustan Times.

7.47 pm: Bharatiya Janata Party chief BS Yeddyurappa and other party MLAs celebrate in the Assembly, ANI reports.

7.45 pm: The BJP reacts soon after the trust vote and calls it the “Game of Karma” and a victory for the people of the state.

7.40 pm: Kumaraswamy’s government loses its majority in the House. Ninety-nine MLAs voted in favour of the Congress Janata Dal (Secular) government while 105 MLAs voted against it.

7.37 pm: Visuals from the Assembly.

7.36 pm: The votes are currently being counted.

7.31 pm: Karnataka Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy votes in favour of the government during the trust vote in the Legislative Assembly, News18 reports. Reddy is one of the 16 rebel MLAs who had resigned from the coalition government. He had said last week that he will support the party.

7.22 pm: Voting begins in Karnataka Assembly.

7.20 pm: HD Kumaraswamy calls for a trust vote in the Assembly.

7.18 pm: “Like DK Shivakumar pointed out earlier, [Yeddyurappa] had said members who resign, who defect, must be disqualified for ten years,” CM HD Kumaraswamy says in the Assembly. “People who are going to write our history will note all of this. I know that you also cannot run the government that easily.”

When Speaker KR Ramesh intervenes to ask if the Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress will take back the rebel MLAs if they come back both Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah said no.

7.15 pm: Poaching of MLAs have been carried out in an organised manner, Kumaraswamy says.

7.10 pm: Kumaraswamy says he has allotted between Rs 100 crore and Rs 600 crore for developmental works in the constituencies of the rebel MLAs.

6.53 pm: Kumaraswamy questions the coverage of the IMA Jewels case and claims the BJP made baseless allegations against him.

6.41 pm: Speaker KR Ramesh says he is ready to resign. “I have already kept a letter ready with me and I’m ready to resign,” he says.

6.40 pm: Kumaraswamy says he did not sideline any constituencies that did not vote for him. He adds that he is ready for the floor test and is not concerned about the number of MLAs present in the House.

6.32 pm: Referring to reports on social media mocking the chief minister for having a room at the Taj West End in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy says he has kept is as a symbol of luck. “I have a room at Taj West End,” he says, according to News18. “When the Assembly election was announced last time, I was watching the results from the room there. I got a call from Ghulam Nabi Azad. I was told the party [Congress] has extended support for our party to form the government. I have kept that room considering it lucky.”

6.30 pm: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during the Lok Sabha elections that the loan waiver was a failure,” Kumaraswamy says, according to the Hindustan Times. “The money we’ve given for this scheme in two budgets is Rs 25,000 crore. I’ve not reduced outlay for any of the schemes announced by Congress leader Siddaramaiah in the 2018 February budget.”

6.21 pm: We have delivered on all our promises, the chief minister says.

6.18 pm: Kumaraswamy praises his officials for the government’s achievements. “From day 1 of this coalition government, there were media reports of an ‘unstable’ government,” he says, according to News18. “It is so difficult for even a stable government to work. How do officials work like this. Our officials have worked day and night. If I have achieved anything, it is the achievement of these officials.”

6.13 pm: Kumaraswamy says he is now ready to quit happily, News18 reports. “The other day, a channel ran a story saying we are pushing for load shedding...CM was pushing the state into darkness,” he says. “Should I have become the CM to get such a certificate? Today, I am ready to quit happily.”

6.05 pm: Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy apologises to Opposition members and voters for keeping them waiting for the trust vote.

6 pm: The police issue prohibitory orders under Section 144 across Bengaluru from 6 pm on Tuesday till 6 pm on Thursday. All bars, pubs and wine stores will be shut.

5.51 pm: Workers of the Congress-Janata Dal (secular) coalition and the BJP clash in Bengaluru, News9 reports.

5.50 pm: Siddaramaiah says the rebel MLAs will be disqualified.

5.45 pm: BJP should accept that they are poaching MLAs, claims Siddaramaiah. He adds that “99% of the state believes the BJP is indulging in horse-trading”. He also questions the security arrangements that the rebel MLAs are being provided in Mumbai, News9 reports.

5.41 pm: “Governments will come and go but we need to preserve the constitution,” the former chief minister adds. “Wholesale and retail sale of MLAs is a shameful act.”

5.38 pm: Speaker has the right to reject or accept resignations, Siddaramaiah says in the Assembly. “Speaker is the supreme authority in the Assembly. No court can interfere with the functioning of the Speaker,” he says, according to News9. “People will not accept undemocratic ways of the BJP. We are still unable to curb defection.”

5.35 pm: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah says the Bharatiya Janata Party, which does not have a mandate is trying to gain backdoor entry, News9 reports.

“The coalition govt has been in existence for 14 months,” he says. “The people of #Karnataka didn’t give majority to any single party in 2018, it was a fractured verdict. In democracy the verdict of the people must be respected by all parties”

BJP indulged in horse-trading from the beginning, he adds. “You [BJP] should have fought and brought changes but clearly you [BJP] chose the backdoor to form the government. This is condemnable,” he adds.

3.18 pm: Tourism Minister SR Mahesh claims some people in the BJP will be happy if the rebel MLAs are disqualified.

3.11 pm: The Mumbai Police detained the Youth Congress workers who were protesting outside Renaissance Hotel in Powai, News18 reports.

3 pm: Youth Congress workers are protesting outside Renaissance Hotel in Mumbai, where the rebel MLAs are staying, News9 reports.

2.30 pm: ‘Bring rebel MLAs here, let them vote against the Government’: DK Shivakumar adds, according to the Hindustan Times.

2.25 pm: Shivakumar claims the media has portrayed politicians as thieves and jokers. “We cannot walk with respect anymore,” he adds. “I can’t even say that I’m a politician.”

2.20 pm: The water resources minister claims he could have “easily locked up rebel MLAs in a room” but did not do it because of his friendships, News9 reports. “I’m hurt by rebel MLAs’ conduct. I was forced to stand on the street in Mumbai,” he adds.

2.15 pm: DK Shivakumar claims the Bharatiya Janata Party has destroyed the political future of the rebel MLAs. He adds that they will also betray the BJP.

2.02 pm: BJP state chief BS Yeddyurappa says the government’s counsel has assured the Supreme Court that trust vote will be held on Tuesday, reports Hindustan times. “Siddaramaiah is very knowledgeable about law but when the Supreme Court says the MLAs can’t be compelled, you cannot go against it. Besides, the rebels have resubmitted their resignations,” says Yeddyurappa

1.58 pm: “I’m supporting JD(S) only because of my commitment,” says Congress MLA DK Shivakumar, reports News9.

1.50 pm: Siddaramaiah says BJP leader Jagadish Shettar said Congress MLA DK Shivakumar was misleading the House. “It’s not Shivakumar but the BJP that has misled,” Siddaramaiah says, according to Hindustan Times. “He is only pleading with them to rectify their mistake, don’t unnecessarily fall into the trap they’ve laid.”

1.46 pm: Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah says DK Shivakumar tried to instil some sense in the MLAs by reminding them that BJP has misled them, reports News9.

1.43 pm: “I’m not ready to call the MLAs in Mumbai disgruntled or unsatisfied,” says DK Shivakumar, according to News9. “They are more than satisfied MLAs. State BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa’s courage and willpower should be appreciated as he tried Operation Kamala seven times.”

1.41 pm: Congress MLA DK Shivakumar says rebel MLAs told him that they will be made ministers, reports News9. “I warned rebel MLAs that BJP is duping them.”

1.11 pm: “If floor test is not held today [Tuesday], we will press for an operative direction tomorrow [Wednesday],” says counsel for the two MLAs who moved Supreme Court, Mukul Rohatgi, reports News9.

1.05 pm: Home Minister MB Patil arrives at Taj West End to hold talks with Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, reports News9.

1.03 pm: Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who represented the two MLAs in the Supreme Court, says the top court passed an order saying it was optimistic that Speaker will hold the floor test on Tuesday, reports ANI. “I hope the Speaker realises what his position is, what Constitution obliges him to do.”

12.29 pm: BJP criticises Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy for failing to attend Assembly session. “Session for Karnataka trust vote has begun,” a party statement said. “But CM HD Kumaraswamy is resting at his Taj West End hotel. His message is clear. He will continue to loot & waste tax payers money to the very last second as CM. He [and] his party will be answerable to Kannadigas very soon.”

12.25 pm: The Supreme Court bench, while adjourning the hearing of MLAs’ plea to Wednesday, says Speaker of the Assembly is optimistic that the trust vote will be held during the course of Tuesday, reports News18.

12.18 pm: Janata Dal (Secular) MLA Shivalinge Gowda says BJP state chief BS Yeddyurappa should clarify that rebel MLAs will not be given ministerial berths nor be inducted into the BJP, reports News9.

12.07 pm: The Supreme Court adjourns hearing of the MLAs’ plea for Wednesday, reports Bar and Bench.

12.05 pm: The Supreme Court begins hearing a plea of two Independent MLAs, seeking a direction to Karnataka Assembly Speaker to hold a floor test. Senior Advocate AM Singhvi, who appears for Speaker, says the debate on trust vote may end today or latest by tomorrow. “Floor test will eventually happen,” he says, according to News18.

11.53 am: A meeting between the lawyers of rebel MLAs and Speaker is underway, reports The News Minute. Speaker refuses to allow BJP delegation led by Madhuswamy to join the meeting.

11.45 am: Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar leaves his seat in the House to meet lawyers of rebel MLAs who were summoned to his office. “I had given time to MLAs at 11 am to come and meet me,” he says, according to India Today. “Their lawyers have come to meet me.”

11.40 am: Thirteen rebel MLAs write to Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar asking him for four weeks’ time to respond to his summons on the disqualification petition moved against them by Congress leader Siddaramaiah, Hindustan Times reports.

Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumathahalli, BA Basavaraj, BC Patil, Pratapgouda Patil, Shivaram Hebbar, ST Somashekhar, MTB Nagaraj, and Munirathna of the Congress and K Gopalaiah, AH Vishwanath and Narayana Gowda of the Janata Dal (S) have written to the Speaker. Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party MLA R Shankar also sent his request to the Speaker.

11.35 am: Congress leader Siddaramaiah arrives at the Vidhana Soudha, reports News9. Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs also arrived late to the Assembly.

11.32 am: BJP MLA Madhuswamy says coalition leaders are raising irrelevant issues and their aim was to delay and drag the session, reports News9.

11.30 am: Khader challenges BJP legislators to accept that the resignation of MLAs was orchestrated by them, Hindustan Times reports. “If the BJP accepts it, a trust vote can be held immediately.”

11.27 am: Congress MLA UT Khader says BJP is misleading the people, reports Hindustan Times. “We know politics is a game of numbers and not morals,” he says. “Let them accept this. Not only are you misleading us, the Speaker, the people but you’re also misusing the Governor’s office. The reason why Supreme Court order is being discussed is because it affects the coalition. This will affect every state. Then there were orders from the Governor.”

10.20 am: BJP leader Jagadish Shettar claims it is the final day for the Kumaraswamy government. “We believed yesterday was the last day but because of the ‘milapi kushti’ in between ruling party and others, they postponed it for one day...We will see what happens and if division of votes takes place, this government will definitely be defeated,” the former chief minister tells ANI.

10.15 am: BJP MLAs arrive at the Vidhana Soudha for the Assembly session. Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar arrived a few minutes ago.

10.10 am: BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje expresses confidence that the Kumaraswamy government will fall. “They don’t have the numbers,” she tells ANI. “They are a minority government. [Rebel] MLAs are in Mumbai, they don’t want to come.”