Yeddyurappa quits as CM ahead of trust vote; paves way for Kumaraswamy to take over
In what came as a big setback to the BJP’s ambitions adding Karnataka as another state to its kitty, B S Yeddyurappa – who was sworn in as the chief minister on Thursday – resigned from the post ahead of the floor test, as was directed by the Supreme Court on Friday.
"I am going to resign as chief minister....I will go to Raj Bhavan and submit my resignation," Yeddyurappa said after an emotional speech in the Karnataka Assembly.
With the BJP failing to garner the required mandate of 112 seats for a simple majority, Yeddyurappa -- who today moved the trust motion seeking a vote of confiedence -- resigned as the chief minister, paving way for the hurriedly-stitched Congress-JDS combine to form a government in the state, with H D Kumaraswamy likely to become the new chief minister.
Also Read: Karnataka Assembly Floor Test LIVE Updates: Yeddyurappa quits as CM; upbeat Congress now demands Governor Vajubhai Vala's resignation
Before stepping down as the chief minister, Yeddyurappa delivered an emotional 15-page speech in the Karnataka Assembly, focused on Lingayats and farmers of the state.
“When I started the Parivartan Yatra, I received huge support from the people of Karnataka,” said Yeddyurappa in his speech.
“I have traveled throughout the state for the last two years and have seen pain on the faces of people. I can't forget the love and affection I received from people,” he added.
Breaking down during his emotional speech, Yeddyurappa said that if people had given him 113 seats instead of 104, he would have made the state a paradise.
He further said that he will win all 28 seats in the state, and gift them to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
He slammed the Congress-JDS tie-up and said "Those who were swearing on the names of each other's fathers and calling each other names before polls, have now come together to form this unholy alliance".
Soon after resignation announced by Yeddyurappa, the Congress demanded the resignation of Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, against who the Congress-JDS combine had moved the Supreme Court for inviting BJP to form government in the state.
The BJP's "Operation Lotus" to poach legislators from other parties has failed and democracy has won in Karnataka, the Congress said soon after Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa announced his decision to resign without facing a trust vote today.
Amid the high-voltage political drama that continued for almost a week ever since the results of the Karnataka Assembly elections were announced on May 14, the Supreme Court had on Friday directed that the floor test be conducted on Saturday, drastically slashing the 15-day window given by the Governor to BJP Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to prove majority.
"Let the House decide and the best course would be floor test," a three-judge bench headed by Justice A K Sikri said, while noting that ultimately the question was about a majority which has to be proved on the floor of the House.
The court acted on a writ petition filed by the Congress and JD(S) regarding Governor Vajubhai Vala's invitation to the BJP to form government in Karnataka.
Earlier today, the top court rejected a plea by the Congress-JDS combine challenging the appointment of K G Biopaiah as the Pro-tem Speaker and ordered live broadcast of the proceedings of the state Assembly.
The BJP had won 104 seats in the assembly elections held in 222 segments, falling eight short of the 112 halfway mark. The Congress won 78 seats and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) 37. The Congress later said it would support a JDS-led government.
The Governor invited BJP to form a government for emerging as the single larges party in the state, following which Yeddyurappa was sworn-in as the new chief minister on Thursday. The Governor’s invitation was challenged by the Congress-JDS combine in the Supreme Court, demanding an urgent hearing on the matter.
Acting on it, the top court – in a historic pre-dawn hearing on Thursday – rejected the plea and cleared the way for BS Yeddyurappa's swearing-in as the chief minister of Karnataka. Yeddyurappa was on Thursday sworn in as the chief minister after the May 12 elections threw up a hung assembly.
