BJP legislature party meeting concludes in Bengaluru

After the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka lost trust vote in the Assembly forcing Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to tender his resignation, BJP held a legislature Party meeting at Ramada hotel here on Tuesday.

While another meeting is scheduled to be held at the party office in Bengaluru on Wednesday at 11 am.

With 20 of its MLAs defying party whips, the 14-month-old Congress JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka fell on Tuesday after its defeat on the floor of the Assembly forcing Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to resign.

Immediately after the defeat, Kumaraswamy rushed to Governor Vajubhai Vala and submitted his resignation. The Governor accepted the resignation.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said BJP will stake claim to form the government in Karnataka after taking guidance from the central leadership.

"We are going to stake the claim to form the government but the formalities will be decided after taking guidance from the national leaders," Joshi

In the 224-member House, only 204 were present and voted in the division pressed by Leader of the Opposition Yeddyurappa after the voice vote. Yeddyurappa and other BJP members showed victory signs in the House while the ruling coalition members quietly walked out.

Senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy who withdrew his resignation last week voted with the government. Speaker Ramesh Kumar, who belongs to the Congress, said he would vote only in case of a tie.

The defeat marks the end of an uneasy coalition that was formed after the assembly polls on May 23, 2018, which returned a hung verdict after three main parties in the state- Congress, BJP and the JD (S) fought each other in the polls. There were differences between the coalition partners that often came to the surface but they carried on against the threat of BJP.

As his government fell into a minority and political crisis deepened, Kumaraswamy offered to face a trial of strength on Thursday, July 18.

The voting on the trust motion started around 7.25 pm after four days of prolonged debate ignoring repeated directives of the Governor who set three deadlines for the completion of the business on Thursday and Friday, even as the battle over the resignation and disqualification of the dissident MLAs went on in the Supreme Court

( With inputs from ANI )