Karnataka Political Row News And Updates: JD(S)’s HD Kumaraswamy Met Governor at 7.30 PM to Stake Claim to Form Government

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (Secular)'s HD Kumaraswamy said that he is waiting for Governor Vajubhai Vala's invitation to form the government.

Updated: May 20, 2018 12:02 AM IST

By India.com News Desk

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New Delhi, May 19: BS Yeddyurappa resigned as chief minister of Karnataka ahead of the Floor Test in Vidhana Soudha on Saturday as he failed to muster the numbers. “I want to give my thanks to the 6.5 crore people of Karnataka. The state has given me a lot of love and affection and support for this fight and gave us 104 seats in Vidhana Soudha,” he said before stepping down as the CM.

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (Secular)’s HD Kumaraswamy said that he is waiting for Governor Vajubhai Vala’s invitation to form the government.

Earlier yesterday, BSY had said, “We are in the Shangri-La hotel for the legislature meeting. We have the majority. More than what we expected. Our workers are really happy. Of course they are with us if the MLAs from Congress and JD(S) don’t support us, how can we prove majority? We will win the floor test 101%.”

Reacting to apex court’s verdict, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, “The BJP’s bluff that it will form the government, even without the numbers, has been called by the court. Stopped legally, they will now try money and muscle, to steal the mandate,” he tweeted.

Notably, a floor test is held if there is more than one person/party staking claim to form the government (in this case, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress-Janata Dal-Secular alliance) and the majority is not clear.

Another issue that cropped up after the apex court orders was the appointment of protem speaker. Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of breaking the convention and naming a three-time MLA, K.G. Bopaiah, as the pro-tem speaker ahead of the Saturday’s floor test. At a media briefing, Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “What the BJP has done is against the rulebook. Ideally, the senior most leader is supposed to hold that position. We are only asking for the convention to be followed.”

In Karnataka elections, the BJP won 104 of the 222 seats, falling eight short of the 112-halfway mark. The Congress bagged 78 seats and the JD-S 37 along with its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The Karnataka Assembly has a total strength of 224. Elections to 2 seats were deferred and voting took place for 222 seats. The total number in the House will go down from 222 to 221 as H D Kumaraswamy, who contested from two seats and won from both, will have to vacate one seat.

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