Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who recently sailed through the second trust of confidence, on Saturday said that there was no need for 'Operation Lotus' (to lure other parties' MLAs) to boost the strength of Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly.
The chief minister, who arrived in Mysore to participate in the Dussehra celebrations, had won the trust vote on October 14 with 106 votes cast in favour of his government as against 100 by the opposition.
BJP had the support of 105 MLAs and an Independent MLA, while Congress had 73, Janata Dal-Secular 27 in a House of 206. Two MLAs -- Manappa Vajjal from BJP and M C Ashwath of JD-S -- were absent which brought down the effective strength of the 224-member assembly to 206.
However, the results of the vote of confidence is subject to the Karnataka high court ruling which is yet to decide the fate of 16 MLAs, including five Independents, who were disqualified under the anti-defection law by the speaker.
The court has reserved orders on the BJP MLAs' plea for quashing the speaker's orders, while it has adjourned hearing on the plea of the Independent MLAs to Monday.
In the 224-member assembly, BJP has a strength of 106, Congress 73, JD(S) 28, Independent one and 16 vacancies caused by the disqualification of 11 BJP and five independent MLAs.
Earlier, Yeddyurappa dismissed speculation over appointment of a deputy chief minister. "There is no question of appointment of a deputy chief minister during my tenure," he told the media in Bengaluru.
There was speculations that mining barons and ministers in the Yeddyurappa cabinet, the Reddy brothers were pressing for a deputy chief minister's post.
In the recent crisis, Janardhana Reddy had played a mediator's role in an attempt to win back dissident BJP MLAs to the Yeddyurappa camp. Under 'Operation Lotus', Yeddyurappa converted the status of his then minority government into a comfortable majority after roping in MLAs from JD-S and Congress who gave up their seats with most winning the by-elections.
