Karnataka: Congress-JD(S) government falls into deep crisis as 14 MLAs submit resignation

Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka is on the verge of collapse as 14 Congress-JDS MLAs have resigned, reports ANI. The developments have come at a time when Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is not in the country. He is expected to return to Bengaluru from the United States on Sunday.

"I was supposed to pick up my daughter that is why I went home, I have told my office to take resignations and give acknowledgement that 11 members resigned. Tomorrow is a holiday, so I will see them on Monday," Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar was quoted as saying by ANI.

Some of the MLAs have reached the Raj Bhawan to meet the governor and apprise of the developments.

As per the ANI, H Vishwanath said that 14 MLA's have submitted their resignation to the Karnataka Assembly Speaker. While the speaker assured the MLAs that by Tuesday we will take the decision.

Even before these eleven resignations, the current strength of the Assembly had been reduced to 222 after resignations of Anand Singh and Jarkiholi.

The current slew of resignations brings Congress-JDS government's strength to 105, which includes two independents. In this situation, BJP's with 105 strength could soon be in a position to topple the government.

BJP has welcomed the MLAs decision as being "taken in the larger interest of the Karnataka. "They thought it's high time to come out of that party and resigned from legislators post as they felt that continuing as MLAs was not good in the larger interest of their constituency and Karnataka," said BJP leader DV Sadananda Gowda.

When reporters asked DV Sadananda Gowda whether BJP will form government in Karnataka, he said: "Governor is the supreme authority, as per the constitutional mandate if he calls us, certainly we are ready to form the government. We are the single largest party, we have got 105 people with us". 

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