H D Kumaraswamy led Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress coalition government in Karnatak has lost the confidence motion in the protracted trust vote proceedings on Tuesday evening. There were 99 votes for and 105 against and the government, with 20 legislators remaining absent in the 224-member House.
According to Business Standards news portal, twenty MLAs —Congress-JD(S) (17), Bahujan Samaj Party (1), Independents (2) — skipped the proceedings, reducing the effective strength of the House to 204. The magic figure thus required was 103.
Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar did not disqualify the legislators currently housed in a Mumbai hotel.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it would stake claim to form the next government. B S Yeddyurappa (76), the BJP’s state unit chief who is expected to become chief minister for a fourth time, though He shares an uneasy relationship with the BJP’s central leadership.
Kumaraswamy, in his reply to the motion in the House, warned the BJP that its government would not last long "First bomb will explode in ministry formation," he said.
After the loss, Kumaraswamy went to Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation to Governor Vajubhai Vala. The resignation was accepted with immediate effect but Kumaraswamy was asked to continue as caretaker chief minister, reported Business Standards.
