Karnataka: B.S. Yediyurappa wins trust vote in Assembly

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will face a vote of confidence at 11am on Monday.

Yediyurappa was sworn in as chief minister for the fourth time on Friday after the BJP staked claim to form the state government three days after the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Yediyurappa said he was “100 per cent confident” of his government clearing the vote of confidence.

Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar on Sunday announced that 14 more Congress and JD(S) legislators, who had resigned from the Assembly earlier this month, had been disqualified. These legislators are expected to approach the Supreme Court to appeal their disqualifications.

Experts contended the speaker's move would boost the chances of Yediyurappa clearing the vote of confidence as the disqualification of 17 MLAs in total has brought down the strength of the Assembly to 207 elected members. The BJP already has 105 members and the support of one independent MLA. The Congress-JD(S) alliance has a total 101 MLAs.

Soon after the swearing-in of Yediyurappa late last week, media reports claimed some JD(S) legislators wanted to side with the BJP. However, in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy declared the BJP did not need the JD(S) to prove its majority. He added the JD(S) and Congress would continue their tie-up to work as a strong opposition to the BJP.

The trust vote is expected to be followed by the introduction of the Finance (Appropriation) Bill.