Karnataka BJP to disrupt Assembly if no trust vote

Bengaluru, July 15 (IANS) The opposition BJP has decided to disrupt the Karnataka Assembly session if Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy does not move the trust vote to prove his fledgling coalition government has majority, a party official said on Monday.

"Since Kumaraswamy boasted on July 12 that he would seek trust vote to prove that he still has majority, we will request the Speaker (K.R. Ramesh Kumar) to list it in the business as the only or main subject at the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting later in the day," Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman G. Madhusudana told IANS.

The Speaker is scheduled to convene the BAC meeting before the session resumes in the afternoon.

"As no business can be conducted in the House by a government that has been reduced to minority in the Assembly after 16 rebel legislators have resigned and 2 Independents withdrew support to it, we are compelled to disrupt the proceedings if the trust vote is not taken up," asserted Madhusudana.

Of the 16 rebels, 13 belong to the Congress and three to the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).

With nine Congress and three JD-S rebels staying at a five-star hotel in Mumbai along with the two Independents, the ruling allies will not have the numbers required to win the trust vote if moved and put to vote in the 225-member Assembly, including one nominated but has no voting right.

Of the remaining five Congress lawmakers - as R. Ramalinga Reddy and R. Roshan Baig are in the city, it remains to be seen if they turn up for the session after the party leaders persuaded them to withdraw their resignations and attend the session.

If all the 18 legislators, including 16 rebels and two Independents do not attend the session, the effective strength of the House for voting will be 205, including 105 of the BJP and excluding the Speaker and the nominated member.

"As the new halfway mark will be 103 for a simple majority, the ruling combine with 100, including one from the supporting party BS will fall three short off it (halfway mark) to win the trust vote and certain to be defeated," said the official.

With the Supreme Court directing the Speaker to maintain status quo on the petitions of the rebel legislators till Tuesday, the latter will not be able to disqualify them even if they defy the whip issued by their respective party.