BJP, Congress play mind games to keep flock intact
While the Karnataka Assembly is scheduled to meet at 11 am on Saturday for the 4 pm floor test to test the numbers with Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, the BJP and the Congress have started their mind games to confuse the opposite camps.
Karnataka BJP leaders expressed the confidence that Mr Yeddyurappa would prove his majority in the Assembly, claiming that about eight Congress MLAs were touch with them. In a counter, the Congress claimed that about seven BJP legislators were in touch with them.
Karnataka Congress and JD(S) MLAs reached star hotels in the city on Friday. Senior MLA D.K. Shiva Kumar is incharge of the Congress MLAs’ camp, assisted by his brother and MP D.K. Suresh. Mr Suresh said the Congress-JD(S) alliance would prove its majority.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Suresh said that two Congress MLAs were missing from the camp. He said “Except for these two, all the remaining Congress MLAs are with us”. He said that about seven BJP MLAs were in touch with them. In the morning, former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah had alleged that MLA Anand Singh had been kidnapped by the BJP.
Despite the purported confidence, both parties are worried about their MLAs. The Congress fears the influence of the “Gali brothers”. In the just concluded elections, the BJP won 104 seats, Congress 78, JD(S) 37 and independents 3.
In the 224-seat Karnataka Assembly, elections were held for 222 seats. Of the three independents, two are supporting the Congress and one is the BJP, taking it strength to 105. While the JD(S) won 37 seats, its actual strength is 36 as Mr H.D. Kumaraswamy has won from two Assembly constituencies, and will have to resign from one of them.
Going by the Congress admission that two of its MLAs have defected, the BJP’s strength has further increased to 107 (104+1+2) and Congress and JD(S) alliance is at 114 including the two independents. The difference between the two sides is seven.
In the present 221-member Karnataka Assembly, the support of 111 MLAs is required to prove majority if all MLAs attend. The BJP requires the support of another four MLAs or it must ensure the absence of 10 rival MLAs.