Karnataka: Kumaraswamy loses trust vote,submits resignation to the governor
Kumaraswamy-led Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government lost majority in Karnataka Assembly on Tuesday. After weeks of suspense, the political drama in Karnataka culminated with the trust vote, which was lost by the Kumaraswamy government. Meanwhile, Bengaluru police have clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code across the city for today and tomorrow to avoid any untoward incident. HD Kumaraswamy who led the ruling Congress-Janata Dal Secular government for nearly 14 months, as Karnataka chief minister lost the confidence motion that he had moved after 16 lawmakers from the ruling coalition resigned this month.Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar said the confidence motion had received 99 votes and was opposed by 105 MLAs. An emotional Kumaraswamy said he had been running a government that was speculated to collapse right from the point that it was formed. He also alluded to an opposition-driven social media campaign that targeted him for staying at a luxury five-star hotel. At one point, HD Kumaraswamy said he had retained the room because he considered it lucky. “When I saw the reports against me, I wondered if I should be the chief minister. I’m hurt, and with great happiness, I’m giving up this post, Kumaraswamysaid, before going on with his speech. But the chief minister, who did not claim in his two-hour long speech that he had the numbers, had made it clear early in his speech that he wouldn’t run away from the vote. He also declared that he wouldn’t let the rebels responsible for the collapse of his government come back rejoin the party. Ever. But before he stopped his two-hour-long speech, Kumaraswamy also had a word of advice for the other lawmakers including those from the rival BJP and its boss BS Yeddyurappa. “This seat is not permanent for anybody. There have been 23 chief ministers in this state,” he told the assembly, capping a discussion that had gone on for four days. “This is all part of politics,” Kumaraswamy later told reporters outside the assembly soon after losing majority and the government. BS Yeddyurappa celebrated his exit as the victory of democracy. Yeddyurappa, who is expected to be named as Kumaraswamy’s replacement by the Bharatiya Janata Party, promised people of Karnataka a new era of development. “Farmers are suffering from drought... We will address their needs... We will take appropriate decisions at the earliest,” Yeddyurappa said. The BJP, which was convinced that the Congress-JDS coalition had lost its majority, did not participate in the confidence motion and had been insisting since day one, that the assembly right away get down to the headcount.
