Karnataka’s trust vote to happen today by 1:30 pm, after relentless overnight drama

• Karnataka confidence motion has got delayed till 11 am today after the house was adjourned yesterday without any trust vote.
• Governor Vajubhai Vala yesterday wrote a letter to CM Kumaraswamy, directing him to prove his majority in the assembly by 1:30 pm today.
• BJP had announced a night long strike till the voting was not done and stayed overnight in the assembly itself.

Karnataka political crisis may finally end today after a day-long drama. The ruling government has managed to dodge the trust vote which requires them to prove majority, by an entire day. But they might not get any more time.

The Governor of the state Vajubhai Vala set a deadline today. Vala directed Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Speaker of the assembly, KR Ramesh Kumar to conduct the floor test either before or by 1:30 pm, as per reports.

The trust vote which was supposed to happen yesterday, was relentlessly delayed by the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition which might be facing an end of its run. Kumaraswamy will have to prove that his government has majority to carry on, as MLAs have been leaving his fold.

BJP party members had staged an overnight dharna or protest over the delay of trust vote. Accusations, speeches and allegations between both Congress and BJP managed to delay the vote, yesterday.

Finally, the state’s Governor wrote a letter to CM Kumaraswamy regarding the trust vote after senior BJP MLAs met him at the Raj Bhawan.

The case of a kidnapped legislator

Yesterday, the Speaker had refused to conduct the trust vote amid allegations by the Congress against the BJP for kidnapping its MLA Shreemant Patil, who had decided to take his resignation back.

Speaker Ramesh Kumar had asked home minister MB Patil to give a detailed report of Shreemant after talking to his family.

The Speaker said that he had received a letter in this regard named in Patil’s name, saying he would abstain from coming to the house due to health related issues. However, the Speaker asked the present Home Minister of Karnataka, MB Patil to contact Shreemath Pati’s family and give a detailed report by tomorrow.

“What kind of a Speaker would I be if I proceed with a document which has no date or letterhead,” said K R Ramesh Kumar.

The house was disrupted throughout the day on the issue of trust vote and when it was finally adjourned till today, BJP announced a night long strike in the assembly itself till the voting was not done.

“We are demanding voting on the motion but the chief minister is reluctant to take it up as he has confirmed himself that he has lost confidence of the House and the people. Everybody knows Congress-JD(S) coalition has only 98 MLAs, we have 105,” said B S Yeddyurappa, BJP party president.

Crisis mode

The Karnataka state government went into a crisis mode earlier this month, after 16 of its MLAs from both the parties of the coalition government resigned. For the last two weeks, the political crisis in the state raged on, as Speaker of the Assembly refused to accept them, taking them to court.

One of the rebel MLAs, Roshan Baig was also detained at Bengaluru airport and questioned, as he was stopped from taking a chartered flight, a few days back.

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