Karnataka BJP to meet Governor, Speaker for floor test in Assembly

Bengaluru, July 10 (IANS) A resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will on Wednesday meet Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala and state Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar seeking a floor test against the beleaguered JD-S-Congress coalition government, said a party official.

"Our party leaders are meeting the Governor at Raj Bhavan later in the day to seek his intervention for a floor test in the Assembly, as the coalition government is reduced to a minority after 16 rebel legislators resigned," BJP spokesman G. Madhusudan told IANS here.

Before going to meet the Governor, the BJP's state leaders, legislators and cadres will also stage a demonstration before Mahatma Gandhi statue near the Vidhan Soudha.

Leaders of the BJP state unit will also meet the Speaker asking him to direct Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to seek trust vote as his government has 'lost' the majority.

"The 10-day Monsoon session of the state legislature is commencing Friday. The Governor can direct the Speaker to conduct the floor test on Friday for a trial of strength as the government is in minority," asserted Madhusudan.

Of the 16 legislators who resigned, 11 are from the Congress, three from Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and one each from regional outfit Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) and an Independent.

"Though the Speaker on Tuesday asked eight of the 13 legislators to re-submit their resignation letters by Thursday and directed five others to meet him on July 12 and July 15 to ensure their resignations were voluntary and genuine, they will not attend the session as they have already resigned," said Madhusudan.

Suspended Congress lawmaker R. Roshan Baig resigned on Tuesday, while KPJP legislator R. Shankar and Independent H. Nagesh resigned on Monday as ministers and withdrew their support to the government.

"All the rebel legislators have given a copy of their resignation letters to the Governor, who as head of the state will be entitled to direct the Speaker to conduct the trust vote," reiterated Madhusudan.

In the 225-member Assembly, including one nominated, the Congress has 78, excluding the Speaker, JD-S 37 and BJP 105 members, while the BSP, KPJP and Independent have one MLA each.

From 116 -- 115 of the Congress-JD and one of BSP, the combined strength of the ruling allies will now be reduced to 100 less than 113, the halfway mark for a simple majority. With the present Assembly strength reduced to 209, the new halfway mark will be 105.

"With the support of KPJP's Shankar and Independent Nagesh, the BJP has 107 members to form a government and prove majority in the Assembly," claimed Madhusudan.

Meanwhile, the Congress and JD-S have also announced holding a protest march to the Raj Bhavan later in the day against the BJP's alleged poaching of their legislators in a bid to topple their 13-month-old government.