In a fresh political development in Karnataka, two independent MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly withdrew their support for the JD(S)-Congress coalition government ruling in the state. H Nagesh and R Shankar wrote two similar letters to the Karnataka Governor stating that they both were withdrawing support for the Karnataka government.
This comes days after Karnataka Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar confirmed that three Congress MLAs were camped in a hotel in Mumbai and were speaking to BJP leaders. This brings the number of the coalition down to 118 minus the Speaker. The BJP, meanwhile, has 104 members and two independents with this latest move. For the BJP to form a simple majority in the house, the quorum needs to be brought down to 210.
The strength of the Karnataka Assembly is 225, including the Speaker. The magic number is 113, excluding the Speaker who casts his vote only in the event of a tie. Currently, there are 79 Congress MLAs and 37 JD(S) MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly. The BJP now has 106 legislators, with the two independent MLAs joining them.
The BJP has already taken three Congress MLAs to Mumbai and is in talks with at least 17 more. BJP has sent its MLAs to a hotel in Gurugram.
However, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy told the media that he is not worried about the independents withdrawing their support and that his government is stable. The Congress, too, has stated that they are confident that the coalition government in Karnataka is stable.
Speaking to ANI, G Parameshwara, the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, said, "We have been saying that BJP is luring our MLAs through money and power but their attempts to destabilise the government will fail. Our government is stable.”
Track all live updates below:
(Note: If the live blog is not loading, please disable your adblocker.)