Karnataka: 11 Cong-JDS MLAs submit resignation at Speaker's office

Bengaluru: Dealing another blow to the wobbly Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka led by H D Kumaraswamy, 11 legislators of the ruling alliance submitted their resignation at the Speaker's office Saturday.

Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar was not in his office when the legislators went there to submit their resignation, sources said.

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Later, Kumar told reporters here that 11 legislators submitted their resignation at his office.

"...11 of them have submitted resignation letters. I told officials to take the letters and issue acknowledgement. Tomorrow the office will be closed...Monday I have prior engagement, so on Tuesday I will go to office and take further action, in accordance with rules," he said.

To a question on the future of the government, Kumar said, "Let's wait and see, I have nothing to do with it."

"Whether the government will fall or survive, it will be decided in the Assembly...," he added.

The MLAs who were seen at the Speaker's office include, Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Pratap Gowda Patil (Maski), Shivram Hebbar (Yellapur), Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani), B C Patil (Hirekerur), Byratibasavaraj (K R Puram), S T Soma Shekar (Yashwanthpur) and Ramalinga reddy (BTM Layout) of the Congress.

The JD(S) MLAs are A H Vishwanath (Hunsur), who recently resigned as party's state chief, Narayana Gowda (K R Pet), and Gopalaiah (Mahalakshmi Layout).

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Later, the legislators went to the Raj Bhavan to meet Governor Vajubhai Vala.

As a last bid, Congress's "trouble shooter" and Minister D K Shivakumar met the legislators and tried to convince them.

The development comes days after two Congress legislators Anand Singh and Ramesh Jarkiholi sent in their resignation to the Speaker.

Speaker Ramesh Kumar however had said, he had received only Singh's resignation, but had no information on that of Jarkiholi.

Jarkiholi, however, submitted his resignation on Saturday.

The coalition's strength in the 224-member Assembly stands at 118 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37, BSP-1 and Independents-2), besides the Speaker.

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This includes MLAs who have resigned, as their resignations are yet to be accepted by the Speaker.

The BJP has 105 MLAs in the House, where half-way mark is 113.

The ruling coalition leaders had feared onslaught by the BJP to destabalise the government after rout in the Lok Sabha seats, where both parties had won just one seat each.

The BJP had won 25 out of 27 seats it had contested and independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh supported by it had won in Mandya.