Reports say up to 11 Congress MLAs may withdraw support on Wednesday.
The plot is thickening in the political crisis that has gripped the Congress-JDS regime in Karnataka. The withdrawal of support to the coalition government by two independent MLAs seems set to expand into a wider defection by Congress lawmakers, which if it happens would certainly bring the government down. The BJP in the meantime is hoarding its MLAs at a resort in Gurugram.
The JDS and Congress continued to give statements on Wednesday morning assuring that they are in full control of things. However, Times Now reported that 11 Congress MLAs were set to defect to the BJP. Five Congress MLAs are reported to be staying at a hotel in Mumbai, and the Congress and JDS have been saying contradictory statements about their status.
"The MLAs (Congress MLAs in Mumbai hotel) are unreachable to the media, not to me. I am in touch with everybody and I am speaking to everybody. They will come back. Our coalition is going on smoothly. I was relaxed and I am relaxed. Don't worry, be happy," said Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, according to news agency ANI.
But, Congress workers gathered outside the resort in Gurugram to hold a demonstration accusing the BJP of indulging in horse trading. Reflection of this was also largely absent in the comments of senior leaders of the Congress and JDS, who seemed intent on painting the scenario as much ado over nothing.
"The two MLAs(who withdrew support from Karnataka Govt) are not affiliated with any party. They are independents. There is no need to hype it up so much. It is all a media hype," insisted HD Deve Gowda, the JDS chief and former Prime Minister.
"I'm in touch with all our MLAs, this drama is going to end in a day or a two. We are all together, there is no internal fight in Congress. This is all baseless," alleged KC Venugopal on behalf of the Congress.
The BJP emerged the single largest party after the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections, winning 104 seats in the 224-member House. However, the Congress and JDS - with 79 and 37 seats respectively - had come together to deny the BJP yet another electoral victory. The BSP and independents had lent support to the Congress-JDS combine.
The withdrawal of support by the two MLAs may not have a bearing on the wafer-thin majority of the HD Kumaraswamy-led government, but defections even by a single Congress or JDS lawmakers could bring the government down, even if it doesn't help BJP's BS Yeddyurappa take power.
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 "Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy and Congress leader DK Shivakumar have claimed they are in full control of the situation.")
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