BJP bets on winning floor test in Karnataka Assembly

An upbeat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident of its fourth-time Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa winning the floor test to prove majority in the state Assembly, a party official said on Monday.

"As all our 105 legislators are united and together, we are sure to pass the floor test in the Assembly whose effective strength has reduced to 208 from 225 after 17 rebel legislators of the Congress-JD-S were disqualified and the revised halfway mark to win the trust vote is 105, which we have," BJP's state spokesman G. Madhusudana told IANS here.

The ruling party issued a whip at its legislature party meeting on Sunday night to all its lawmakers for attending the day-long Assembly session convened from 11 a.m. and voting in favour of the trust vote and passing the finance bill of the state budget for fiscal 2019-20.

"The Chief Minister will move the confidence motion for the floor test without debate and address the House after winning the trust vote when the finance bill will be moved for its passage," said Madhusudana.

The party is also counting on Independent H. Nagesh to vote in favour of the motion as he had assured state Governor Vajubhai Vala on July 8 in a letter after resigning as minister in the previous JD-Congress coalition government.

Nagesh did not attend the Assembly on July 23, when former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy put to vote and lost the confidence motion he moved on July 18 after a four-day acrimonious debate and uproar over charges and counter charges between the ruling allies and opposition members.

"If Nagesh turns up, we will have 106 members voting in favour of the motion as the halfway mark for a simple majority is 105," added Madhusudana.

In case Congress legislator B. Nagendra, who is in a private hospital for treatment over the last three weeks abstains from the Assembly and BSP legislator N. Mahesh too stays away as he did on July 23, the House strength will further come down to 206, with 103 as the revised halfway mark to win the trust for a simple majority.

"When our party fell short of 9 members for the 113 halfway mark in a 225-member full House of 225 members and win the trust vote on May 19, 2018, Yediyurappa resigned than face defeat in the floor test though we were the single largest party with 104 members as we are even now," recalled Madhusudana.

In a dramatic turn of events, Yediyurappa, 76, staked claim to power on July 25 and took oath as Chief Minister on the same evening for the fourth time and two days after Kumaraswamy resigned on July 23.

Though the Governor directed Yediyurappa to prove majority by July 31, he decided to do it by Monday so that he could get the finance bill passed before lapsing on July 31.