News Politics National Karnataka: Congress, BJP heading for showdown as political crisis deepens in state

Karnataka: Congress, BJP heading for showdown as political crisis deepens in state

On Tuesday, two independent MLAs- H Nagesh and R Shankar- withdrew their support to the Kumaraswamy government and wrote letters to the state governor in this regard.

HD Kumaraswamy and BS Yeddyurappa HD Kumaraswamy and BS Yeddyurappa

The political crisis in Karnataka deepened on Tuesday after two independent MLAs withdrew their support from the Kumaraswamy government.

While the BJP leaders are claiming that the Congress-JD(S) government will collapse soon, both Kumaraswamy and the Congress have pooh-poohed the claims made by the saffron party.

On Tuesday, two independent MLAs- H Nagesh and R Shankar- withdrew their support to the Kumaraswamy government and wrote letters to the state governor in this regard.
 
Meanwhile, four Congress MLAs are staying in a Mumbai hotel and speculations in political circles suggest that they might switch sides. 

Amid the fast changing political scenario, Congress parry’s Karnataka in-charge Venugopal reached Bengaluru from New Delhi and held talks with Chief Minister Kumaraswamy as well as former CM Siddaramaiah.

Though the Congress leaders are claiming that there is no danger to the Kumaraswamy govt in the state, the BJP leaders believe that the days of Congress-JD(S) govt are numbered. 

Meanwhile over 100 MLAs of BJP are staying at a resort in Haryana.

In Karnataka Assembly, the total number of MLAs is 224.

The Congress has 80 legislators while the JD(S) has 37 MLAs. With the support of the BSP MLA, the ruling alliance’s number reaches 118.

The BJP has the support of 106 MLAs at present. For a BJP government in the state, at least 13 MLAs need to resign from the House as it will reduce the strength of the House to 211. With 106 MLAs, the BJP will then be in a position to form the next government in the state.