HOW THE NUMBERS STACK UP IN THE HOUSE
HD Kumaraswamy
80
37
1
Independent MLAS: If the two independent legislators extend their support to the BJP, the party will still be short of the majority mark of 113 by seven MLAS
The law says: Under the anti-defection law, two-thirds of a party must leave en masse to form a new group
government,” Shankar said.
Since Monday, there was speculation that the BJP has been in touch with some Congress MLAS. Some leaders of the Congress are reported to be in a hotel in Mumbai. HT could not verify this independently.
With the departure of the two independent MLAS, the strength of the coalition is down to 118 in a house of 224 members — 80 of the Congress, including speaker KR Ramesh Kumar, 37 of the JD(S), and a lone legislator of the Bahujan Samaj Party. With 104 MLAS, even if the two independent legislators extend their support, the BJP is still short of the majority 2 Independents
104
BS Yeddyurappa
Simple majority: This means that even if the two independents support the BJP to bring its tally up to 106, it will need 13 MLAS from the government to quit to bring the strength of the assembly down to 211 to gain a simple majority
mark of 113 by seven MLAS.
What makes the task of toppling the government harder is that any MLA who defects from the Congress or the JD(S) to the other side will have to resign from the assembly because of the antidefection law, under which twothirds members of a party must leave en masse to form a new group. That effectively means that even if the two independents switch to the BJP, for a total of 106, it will need 13 MLAS from the government to quit to bring the strength of the house down to 211 to gain a simple majority.
“I have not taken any responsibilities for the Independent
Current strength of ruling combine who withdrew support to the government
MLAS, I have formed the government with the support of the Congress, not those two Independents... If two MLAS have withdrawn support what will be the numbers? I am totally relaxed,” Kumaraswamy told reporters.
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed confidence that the government was stable.“let BJP try as much as they want, but the government is stable. All people have been elected on ideology and they are not going to leave. However, BJP keeps on trying [to poach] because they are habitual,” Kharge told ANI.