Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition suffered an ignominious defeat in the trust vote, with the BJP securing 105 as against 99 by the coalition.
Bengaluru: It was a war that was started the day two diametrically opposite entities decided to join hands to keep a party that had stumbled at the threshold of victory.
On Tuesday (July 23) the result was out. A result pleasant for the BJP and a hard one to stomach for the Congress-JD(S) coalition that was in comatose for a long, long time.
As the chief minister HD Kumaraswamy announced that he would take up the trust vote in the evening, all became anxious. 5 minutes later, when the Speaker announced the result, it was a role reversal of sorts! The coalition felt short in the same way as the Yeddyurappa-led BJP had fallen short in 2018. The BJP defeated the coalition 105 – 99, with the magic number at 103.
Soon after the victory, BJP leaders from Chikkanayakanahalli BJP MLA Madhuswamy to former deputy Speaker R Ashoka, all spoke in one voice. The sum and substance of their reactions was that BJP had no role to play in the collapse of the coalition and that BJP would start a fresh chapter in Karnataka politics, starting Wednesday.
Later in the evening, the chief minister, along with his colleagues met the Governor Vajubhai Vala and submitted his resignation, and later they drove to JD(S) patriarch Deve Gowda’s house.
Meanwhile, a confident BS Yeddyurappa is all set to stake claim and be sworn in by Thursday (July 23). Before that, he is slated to meet PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.
On the other hand, the rebel MLAs who are camping in Mumbai will return to Bengaluru on Wednesday. The Supreme Court will decide their fate as the sword of disqualification still hangs on their heads.
The Kumaraswamy government was sworn in May of 2018. Since that day, the talks of disharmony have always hit the headlines.
Last Updated Jul 23, 2019, 9:46 PM IST