In a day of dramatic twists and turns, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa announced on Saturday afternoon he had resigned at the Assembly session called to conduct a floor test as the BJP, with 103 MLAs, was short of the majority mark. Yeddyurappa's third tenure as CM lasted little more than 48 hours.
Yeddyurappa declared the mandate was against the Congress and JD(S) and said he would fight gift 'all' 28 Lok Sabha seats to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in next year's Parliamentary elections. He also reiterated his commitment to farmers.
Earlier in the day, it was speculated Yeddyurappa would meet Governor Vajubhai Vala to resign. According to experts, Yeddyurappa may have followed the pattern set by then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who gave a speech in Parliament and resigned before his 13-day government faced a vote of confidence in 1996.
Given Yeddyurappa's resignation, Vala is constitutionally obliged to invite the JD(S)-Congress to form a government. The option of President's Rule is expected to be a last resort, according to legal experts.
There was high drama before Yeddyurappa's speech as two 'missing' Congress MLAS—Anand Singh and Pratap Gowda Patil—arrived at the Assembly on Saturday nearly three days after they 'left' the group of Congress legislators. The Congress alleged the duo were being forcibly confined by the BJP at the Goldfinch Hotel in Bengaluru. Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar declared that both Patil and Singh would side with the party and the duo were seen with Congress MLAs.
The arrival of the two MLAs would boost the Congress' number to 78 MLAs, which along with the JD(S) figure of 37 MLAs and two independents would allow for a comfortable majority in a house of 220 MLAs.
Earlier, the Congress released multiple audio recordings of BJP leaders offering bribes to their MLAs to support Yeddyurappa. The recordings purportedly including BJP leaders Yeddyurappa, his son Vijayendra, B. Sriramulu and Murlidar Rao.