Kumaraswamy sails through K’taka test
DRAMA ENDS Congress, JD(S) keep flock together, Oppn promises tough ride
BENGALURU: The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government won the floor test on Friday after legislators of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) walked out of the House, ending the uncertainty which followed the May 12 elections that threw up a hung assembly.
JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the chief minister and Congress leader G Parameshwara became the deputy chief minister on Wednesday, four days after BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa resigned before a scheduled floor test.
The BJP had been invited first by the governor to form the government as it was the single largest party with 104 seats out of 222. However, Yeddyurappa resigned before a Supreme Court-monitored floor test was scheduled to take place, amid allegations of attempts by the BJP to poach Opposition MLAs.
The Congress has the support of 78 MLAs, the JD(S) of 38 (including one seat of its ally Bahujan Samaj Party); two independents also support the coalition.
On Friday, proceedings began with the unanimous election of Congress leader KR Ramesh Kumar as the new speaker, despite BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar having submitted his nomination.
Yeddyurappa said the party did not wish to contest a post that was supposed to be above politics, a move that was welcomed by Kumar.
That, though, was the end of the bonhomie in the House. In his speech moving the trust motion, Kumaraswamy took aim at Yeddyurappa for his resignation speech on Saturday, where the latter had threatened to hit the streets to protest against any injustice meted out to the people by the current dispensation.