In a major relief for the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka ahead of the crucial trust vote, senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday decided to withdraw his resignation from the assembly.
“I will remain with the Congress. When I say I’ll remain with the Congress, it means everything is over,” he was quoted as saying by the Deccan Herald newspaper.
Reddy, who represents BTM Layout, was not on good terms with the Congress leadership and had accused it of neglecting senior leaders in the party.
Reports said more rebel MLAs are likely to withdraw their resignations after Reddy's decision.
The H.D. Kumaraswamy government, which is in serious danger of losing power after multiple resignations of legislators, is due to face a trust vote in the assembly on Thursday.
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As many as 16 MLAs—13 from the Congress and three from JD(S)—have resigned from the state assembly, while independent MLAs S. Shankar and H. Nagesh have withdrawn their support to the coalition government, keeping it on the edge.
The ruling coalition's strength in the House is 117—Congress 78, JD(S) 37, BSP 1, and nominated 1, besides the speaker.
With the support of the two independents, the opposition BJP has 107 MLAs in the 225-member House, including the nominated MLA and Speaker.
If the resignations of the 16 MLAs are accepted, the ruling coalition's tally will be plummet to 101, reducing the 13 month-old Kumaraswamy government to a minority.
According to official sources, nominated member, too, has a right to vote.
