BJP may stake claim to form govt today in K'taka

July 24, 2019 09:12

The collapse of the coalition government in Karnataka on Tuesday sets the stage for the Bharatiya Janata Party to stake claim to power in the southern state and likely marks the return of 76-year-old Lingayat strongman BS Yeddyurappa to the chief ministers chair for the fourth time.

All eyes are now on governor Vajubhai Vala, who accepted chief minister HD Kumaraswamys resignation late on Tuesday and asked him to lead a caretaker government.

In the 225-member assembly, the BJP is the single largest party with 105 legislators. Yeddyurappa said he will meet Vala to stake claim after consulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Senior BJP leader R Ashoka said the party is likely to meet the governor to form the next government on Wednesday.

Former Lok Sabha secretary general PDT Acharya said the BJP will have to prove its majority in the House. As of now, they dont have the majority, he said, pointing out that the party held only 105 seats and the majority mark in the full House was 113.

The fate of the 15 rebel legislators - 12 from the Congress and three from the Janata Dal-Secular -- also continues to be uncertain. Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar is yet to take a final call on accepting their resignation letters, and disqualification petitions pending against them.

The matter of the resignation of the rebel MLAs is also pending before the Supreme Court and both the Congress and JD-S legislature parties have impleaded themselves in the matter. The Supreme Court is also hearing the petition of the independents on Wednesday and all players in Karnataka will be keenly watching its outcome.

Image: BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa being congratulated by members after BJP won the trust vote at the Karnataka assembly in Bengaluru. Photograph: ANI Photo

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