AICC Approves Proposal to Expel 14 K’taka Ex-MLAs From Party
Catch all the live updates on the Karnataka government formation here.
Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Monday, 29 July submitted his resignation from the position of Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly, soon after conducting the floor test. Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa won the floor test through a voice vote. He took oath as the chief minister of Karnataka on 26 July.
Meanwhile, rebel MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli moved the Supreme Court challenging the Speaker's decision to disqualify them for the term of the present Assembly.
- Fourteen rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs were disqualified by the Speaker on Sunday
- BS Yediyurappa took oath as chief minister of the state on 26 July
- Soon after Yediyurappa won the confidence motion, the Finance Bill was passed by the Vidhana Soudha
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)
Governor Vajubhai Vala Administers Oath of Office & Secrecy to Yediyurappa
Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to Yediyurappa, credited with leading the BJP to its first ever government in the south in 2008, at a brief function in the Raj Bhavan, which was boycotted by JD(S) and Congress leaders.
JP Nadda Dismisses Opposition's Claim That His Party Engineered Defections
BJP Working President JP Nadda on Friday, 26 July, dismissed the Opposition's claim that his party engineered defections to bring down the coalition government and said it fell due to its internal reasons.
On Yediyurappa being over the 75-year age bar the party has stipulated for its leaders holding any government position, Nadda said the Karnataka veteran was the leader of the BJP Legislature Party in the state and it was natural for him to be the party's choice for the chief minister's post.
'Confidence Motion Will Be Moved in the Assembly on 29 July': Yediyurappa
Speaking to reporters after the swearing in, Yediyurappa said, "The Karnataka Assembly session will be called at 10 am on Monday, 29 July, for moving confidence motion and for the passage of the Finance Bill."
Speaker Ramesh Kumar had said on Thursday that if the Finance Bill was not passed by 31 July, the "government will come to a standstill and we will not be in a position to even pay salaries," he said.
Amit Shah Congratulates Newly Sworn-in CM Yediyurappa
BJP president Amit Shah on Friday, 26 July, congratulated Yediyurappa after he took oath as chief minister and expressed confidence the party will run a stable, pro-farmer and development-oriented government under him.
"Congrats to BS Yediyurappa, newly sworn in CM of Karnataka. I am sure under his leadership and under the guidance of PM Modi, BJP will give a stable, pro-farmer and development oriented govt in the state. I assure people of Karnataka that BJP is committed to fulfil their aspirations," Shah tweeted.
BS Yediyurappa Takes Charge as Karnataka Chief Minister
Disqualified MLAs to Move Supreme Court Against Speaker's Decision
Rebel Congress MLAs Ramesh L Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumathalli and Independent MLA R Shankarhave, who were disqualified and banned from contesting elections by Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar on Thursday, 25 July will move the Supreme Court against their disqualification.
Section 144 to Be Imposed in Vidhana Soudha Area on 29 July
Bengaluru Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar on Saturday, 27 July, said Section 144, which prohibits assembly of more than five people in an area, will be imposed from 6 am on Monday, 29 July to 30 July midnight within 2 km radius area of Vidhana Soudha, ANI reported.
BS Yediyurappa said he would move a motion of confidence in the Assembly on Monday to prove his majority.
BJP Mulling No-Confidence Motion Against Assembly Speaker If He Doesn't Resign: Report
The BJP is contemplating bringing a no-confidence motion against assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar, if he does not voluntarily vacate the post, PTI reported quoting party sources.
"We will move the no-confidence motion against the Speaker if he himself does not resign," a ruling BJP MLA told PTI requesting anonymity.
The legislator added, "Our first agenda is to win the confidence motion and get the finance bill passed on Monday. We will wait and see whether the speaker steps down on his own."
Speaker Ramesh Kumar Calls a Press Conference at 11.30 am
Karnataka speaker Ramesh Kumar has called a press conference at 11.30 am on 28th July, Sunday, according to an official statement. This comes a day after BJP leader BS Yediyurappa took oath as chief minister of Karnataka. Yeddiyurappa is seeking to prove BJP’s majority in the Assembly on 29 July.
BS Yediyurappa Has Asked Me to Oversee Confidence Motion on Monday: Speaker Ramesh Kumar
Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar addressed a press conference today and said that BS Yediyurappa has asked him to oversee the confidence on Monday at 11 am. Appealing to MLAs to appear for Monday’s session, he said,
“The Finance Bill is set to lapse on July 31. I appeal to all the MLAs to appear for the session on Monday for the confidence motion in the new government and to take up the appropriation bill.
He also said that on the advice of the Chief Minister, he has directed the secretariat to convene a session on Monday at 11 am.
Speaker Talks Mental Pressure, Resignation & Grief on Jaipal Reddy's Demise
Talking about the toll which the Karnataka constitutional crisis has taken on him, Ramesh Kumar said, “The way I'm being pressured to deal with the situation being a speaker. All these things have pushed me into a sea of depression.”
Speaking on his resignation, he said “I carried a resignation letter on July 23 because I wanted to resign if the matter dragged on on that day because I did not want to carry that burden.”
Kumar also expressed condolences on Former Union Minister and Congress leader Jaipal Reddy’s demise and said, “It is a very sad day for me. Jaipal Reddy, who has been my mentor, personally very close to me and I've always given him the position of my eldest brother, I've known him since the 1980s, an outstanding parliamentarian with unimpeachable integrity.”
14 Rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs Disqualified
Speaker Ramesh Kumar has disqualified 14 rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs from the Assembly. The disqualified MLAs cannot fight elections until the expiry of the term of the 15th assembly.
The 11 disqualified MLAs from Congress are Pratap G Patil, B C Patil, S Hebbar, S T Someshekhar, B Basvraj, Anand Singh, R Roshan Baig, Muniratna, K Sudhakar, M TB Nagraj, Srimanth Patil. The 3 JD(S) MLAs who have been disqualified are AH Vishwanath, K Gopalaiah and Narayana Gowda.
The Speaker has also rejected the four weeks sought by the rebel MLAs. Speaking on the disqualifications, Kumar said, “I had 13 resignations petition left before me and 14 disqualification petitions. I have considered all the petitions before me. I had asked the members who resigned to appear before me to convince me that their resignations were voluntary and genuine. They failed to do so.”
Under Petition 3 and 4, Pratapgouda Patil, BC Patil, Shivaram Hebbar, ST Somashekhar, BA Basavaraja, Anand Singh, R Roshan Baig, Munirathna, K Sudhakar, MTB Nagaraj have incurred disqualification for being member of Karnataka Legislative assembly in terms of 2 (1A) of schedule X from this date till the end of the term of the 15th Legislative assembly of Karnataka.
Disqualification petition 3 was filed by Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao. The respondents in this case were the Congress MLAs. Petition 4 was against K Sudhakar and MTB Nagaraj (Congress). Petition number 5 was from HD Kumaraswamy against 3 JD(S) MLAs.
Post-Disqualification, Total Strength of the Assembly is 208
With the disqualifications announced on Sunday, the strength of the house comes down to 208 (including speaker and nominated member). The halfway mark stands at 104 and a simple majority stands at 105. This is exactly the number of MLAs the BJP has in the house.
Disqualified MLA Says Will Move SC
Disqualified JD(S) MLA AH Vishanath says he will move the Supreme Court against Speaker's decision.
Siddaramaiah & JD(S) React to Disqualification of MLAs
Former CM Siddaramaiah reacted to the news of the disqualification and said the “honest decision of speaker will send strong signals.”
The official account of JD(S) also welcomed the news on Twitter and said, “Speaker Ramesh Kumar has given a tough message to those who are going to shake up democracy by disqualifying lawmakers who have violated the party whip by sacrificing their mandate for money and power. Our party welcomes their verdict.”
'A Clumsy Attempt of Revenge': Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Congress MLA to Meet Ahead of Trust Vote
Karnataka Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting called tomorrow at Vidhana Soudha, ahead of trust vote.
Karnataka CM Arrives for BJP Legislative Party Meet
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa arrives for BJP Legislative Party meeting at Chancery Pavilion in Bengaluru.
Rebel MLAs to Move Supreme Court
Rebel Janata Dal Secular lawmaker AH Vishwanath, who was disqualified by the Karnataka Speaker on Sunday, said the decision was "against the law", adding he and other disqualified legislators would approach the Supreme Court for redressal tomorrow.
As Yediyurappa faces Floor Test, Disqualified MLAs to Move SC
BS Yediyurappa is set to face floor test in the Vidhana Soudha today after taking oath as the chief minister of Karnataka on 26 July.
Meanwhile, the rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs will move the Supreme Court against disqualification by Speaker KR Ramesh on Sunday.
Yediyurappa Offers Prayers in temple Ahead of Floor Test
Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa offers prayers at Bengaluru's Sri Bala Vera Anjaneya temple ahead of his government’s floor test in Karnataka Assembly today.
Yediyurappa Arrives at Vidhana Soudha
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa arrives at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.
Congress Legislative Party Meet Begins at Vidhana Soudha
Congress legislative party (CLP) meeting begins at Vidhana Soudha. CLP leader Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao, KJ George, Priyank Kharge, MB Patil, Eshwar Khandre and and other Congress MLAs are present. The decision on the leader of Opposition will be taken today.
Congress Meet Concludes
The Congress legislative party (CLP) meeting at Vidhana Soudha concludes.
Disqualified Karnataka MLAs Move Supreme Court
Congress rebels R Shanksr, Ramesh Jarakiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli move Supreme Court challenging Speaker's decision to disqualify them for the term of the present Assembly.
Yediyurappa Takes CM's Chair, Siddaramaiah Takes Leader of Opposition's Place
Seats changed in Assembly. Yeddyurappa is Chief Minister's seat and Siddaramiah in Opposition leaders seat.
Yediyurappa Addresses Vidhana Soudha
BS Yediyurappa addresses the Vidhana Soudha ahead of the floor test.
Congress- JD(S) Disdn't Indulge in Vindictive Politics, We Won't Either: BSY
While addressing the Assembly, Yediyurappa said he will not indulge in vindictive politics.
“When Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy were chief minister they didn't indulge in vindictive politics. The administration has failed and we will set it right. I give an assurance in the house that we won't indulge in vindictive politics either. I believe in forget and forgive,” he said.
“There is drought and 80 odd districts have no water. I want to address the issues of farmers. Weavers and Farmers are like my two eyes,” he added.
Siddaramaiah Addresses Vidhana Soudha
Congress leader Siddaramaiah addresses Vidhana Soudha.
'I Wish Yediyurappa Well': Siddaramaiah
Congress leader Siddaramaiah while addressing the Vidhana Soudha said that confidence motion against Yediyurappa was discussed for four days. He said that he wishes Yediyurappa well.
“We discussed Kumaraswamy's confidence motion over four days. Even I participated in that and I don't wish to speak about that. I could've spoken about the circumstances under which Yediyurappa became chief minister. I wish him well and welcome his assurance that he will work for the people,” he said.
“We are all elected to this house to work for the people and we must try to do this. I attempted this in the five years as chief minister and so did Kumaraswamy,” Siddaramaiah said.
“However, Yediyurappa has said administration has come to a standstill and he wants to rectify that. That wasn't the case. In the coalition we worked towards bringing to force the common minimum programme,” he added.
Kumaraswamy Addresses Vidhana Soudha
Former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy addresses the Vidhana Soudha ahead of Yediyurappa’s floor test.
'I Oppose the Confidence Motion': Siddaramaiah
Siddaramiah says that he opposes the confidence motion.
“We hope you (BS Yediyurappa) will be chief minister but there is no guarantee of that. You are with the rebels, can you give a stable government? It's impossible! I oppose this confidence motion because the reason is this government is unconstitutional and immoral,” he said.
'I Have to Answer My Conscience': Kumaraswamy
Former CM HD Kumaraswamy says he has no obligation to answer BS Yediyurappa’s questions and he only needs to answer to his conscience.
“I ran govt for 14 months. I have no obligation to answer your (BS Yediyurappa) questions. I need to answer to my conscience. From past 14 months, everything was being recorded. People know what work I have done,” he said.
“Let's see how you will run this government which was built on the back of 17 MLAs who resigned, treat them well or else they'll come back to haunt you. You must thank them first for this confidence motion. I've seen the things the BJP has said about the Speaker's decisions over the past week that have upheld the Constitution,” he added.
Yediyurappa Wins Floor Test
Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa won the floor test in the Vidhana Soudha on Monday after Speaker KR Ramesh conducted a voice vote for the same.
Yediyurappa, Siddaramaiah Spar Over Finance Bill
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa moves for vote on accounts for three more months.
Opposition leader Siddaramaiah opposes decision and says the entire bill for rest of 8 weeks could be taken.
“Since there is no time now we won't oppose it but it makes no sense to take another vote on accounts for just three more months now. It will be convenient for the government to have the bill passed for the rest of eight months.” he said.
Vidhana Soudha passes Finance Bill
The Finance Bill is passed in Karnataka Vidhana Soudha.
Speaker KR Ramesh Resigns
Speaker Ramesh Kumar submits his resignation from the position of the Speaker of Karnataka Assembly.
'Yediyurappa Won't Complete Full Term': Siddaramaiah
Congress leader Siddaramaiah said that CM Yediyurappa will not be able to complete full term as the CM as he is “dependent on those who have lost all morals.”
M Lakshminarayana Appointed Advisor to CM Yediyurappa
M Lakshminarayana was appointed advisor to Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa on Monday after the latter won the floor test in the Assembly.
New Karnataka CM Yediyurappa Withdraws Powers of Boards/Corporations
Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa has withdrawn powers of boards/corporations and directed in a notification that till the next order, department secretaries will work as in-charges, reported ANI.
'I Performed my Duty': Former Karnataka Speaker Ramesh Kumar
KR Ramesh Kumar, who resigned from the post of Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly on Monday, said he had performed his duty in disqualifying the 14 rebel MLAs and hoped his action would uphold ethics in politics.
"It is not correct to comment on the verdict. I performed my duty. I did this... that we should be a guide to the youth," he told reporters in Hyderabad when asked for his message to the present generation of politicians and youth who wished to enter politics.
AICC Approves Proposal to Expel 14 Ex-MLAs From Party for Anti-Party Activities
AICC has approved the proposal received from Pradesh Congress Committee Karnataka President regarding the expulsion of 14 ex-MLAs from the party for anti-party activities.