Karnataka crisis LIVE updates: Fate of Congress-JDS govt likely to be decided today
The crucial floor test for deciding the fate of the JD-S-Congress coalition government in Karnataka has been deferred till Tuesday.
Karnataka's beleaguered ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and Congress members on Monday beseeched state Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar to grant two more days for the floor test on the confidence motion their Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy moved on July 18 to prove majority in the House.
Facing imminent defeat in the Assembly and fall of their 14-month shaky coalition government, the beleaguered allies have defied the three deadlines the Governor had set for Kumaraswamy to prove majority on July 18 and July 19, saying their members had to speak on the motion and the Chief Minister had to reply to the charges the BJP would level against them.
With the 15 rebels, including 12 of the Congress and 3 of the JD-S deciding not to attend the session and two Congress legislators (B. Nagendra and Srimant Patil) admitted in Bengaluru and Mumbai private hospitals, the strength of the allies in the House was 99 (65 out of 79 of the Congress plus 34 out of 37 of the JD-S), including the Speaker (from Congress) in the 225-member Assembly.
With the two Independents supporting the BJP, which has 105 legislators, 107 votes will be against the motion in the division of votes vis-a-vis 100 of the ruling combine, including one from its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), whose member N. Mahesh was absent from the Assembly on July 18-19 when the debate on the trust vote took place.
Here are the highlights:
11:45 pm: Siddaramaiah, Congress at Vidhana Soudha: Tomorrow we will finish the floor test, after some of our members speak. By 4 PM tomorrow we will finish discussion, by 6 PM we will finish the floor test.
11:30 pm: Karnataka assembly has been adjourned till 10 AM tomorrow.
11:35 pm: Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar: By 6 PM tomorrow the floor test will be done.
09:35 pm: Video catches a letter on HD Kumaraswami's desk which appears to be his resignation letter
08:00 pm: Everybody is watching us. Please don't make me a scapegoat. Let us reach our goal: Speaker Ramesh Kumar tells Kumaraswamy government
07:00 pm: NOTHING CLEAR YET. Trust vote may move to tomorrow
06:25 pm: Karnataka assembly has been adjourned for 10 minutes following an uproar by the MLAs of JD(S)-Congress at the well of the House
06:00 pm: Karnataka Home Minister MB Patil has called an official meeting with the Commissioner of Police, to discuss about zero traffic reportedly given to rebel MLAs when they came back to Bengaluru to meet the speaker. JD(S) MLA AT Ramaswamy had raised this matter in assembly today
05:50 pm: Congress and the Karnataka CMO have denied reports that Chief Minister Kumaraswamy has sought an appointment with the governor
05:40 pm: JD(S) MLA AT Ramaswamy walks out of Vidhana Soudha
05:25 pm: CM Kumaraswamy will reportedly meet the governor at 7 pm. And reports says he might resign since he does not have the numbers.
05:20 pm: Nataka continues
04:35 pm: P Muralidhar Rao, BJP National General Secy, says Congress-JD(S) is violating constitutional rights
04:07 pm: Siddaramaiah is the first one to speak
"CT Ravi doesn't have proper information. I didn't leave JD(S), I was expelled. I didn't join Congress immediately. I was forming Ahinda party. I was expelled from JD(S) in May 2005. I joined Congress in 2006," he says.
04:00 pm: Vote of confidence begins
12:47 pm: Anand Murthy, an advocate, has filed PIL in Karnataka High Court, alleging that trust vote is being deliberately delayed
12:15 pm: Congress leader and state minister DK Shivakumar arrives at Karnataka Assembly
12:10 pm: Speaker says will pass a ruling today
10:55 am: Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar summons rebel MLAs to meet him at his office at 11 am on July 23. The notice has been issued over disqualification (of rebel MLAs) petition by coalition leaders.
10:45 am: The Supreme Court refuses to give early hearing on plea by two independent Karnataka MLAs seeking a direction to conclude floor test in assembly today.
10:30 am: Former Karnataka chief minister and BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa along with party MLAs arrives at Vidhana Soudha.
09:51 am: BJP MLAs leave from Bengaluru's Ramada Hotel for Vidhana Soudha; HD Kumaraswamy government will face floor test in the Assembly today
09:13 am: Shiv Sena blames central government for being "just a mere spectator and doing nothing in the Karnataka Crisis". The Shiv Sena has demanded President's rule or the dissolution of the government and the holding of fresh elections and letting the people of Karnataka decide. The party's view comes as the latest editorial in mouthpiece Saamana.
THE CASE FILE
With the 15 rebels, including 12 of the Congress and 3 of the JD-S deciding not to attend the session and two Congress legislators (B. Nagendra and Srimant Patil) being in a Bengaluru and Mumbai private hospitals, the strength of the allies will be 99 (65 out of 79 of Congress plus 34 out of 37 of JD-S), including the Speaker (from Congress) in the 225-member Assembly.
With the two Independents supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has 105 legislators, 107 votes will be against the motion in the division of votes vis-A-vis 100 of the ruling combine, including one from its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), whose member N. Mahesh was absent from the Assembly on July 18-19 when the debate on the trust vote took place.
The BJP is hoping both the Independents will be present in the Assembly for the floor test though they were absent on July 17-18 when the debate was taken up on the confidence motion.
Since the Chief Minister moved the motion, the onus is on him and his ruling allies to prove majority. Though BSP chief Mayawati directed Mahesh to vote in favour, he told reporters on Sunday in his home constituency (Kollagal) that he would remain neutral by abstaining from the House, as he did on July 17-18 for the debate on it.
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Video: Karnataka trust vote delayed till Monday
