Karnataka BJP chief B.S. Yeddyurappa is waiting for the "blessings" of the RSS before taking over as the chief minister. "I came here to take the blessings of senior leaders of the Sangh Parivar. I'm waiting for instructions from Delhi, at any point of time we will call for legislature party and then head to the Raj Bhavan," Yeddyurappa told reporters, reported NDTV. As a next step, the party legislature has to choose Yeddyurappa as the leader.
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The Congress-JD(S) coalition government fell on Tuesday (99 votes to 105) as it failed to rack up enough numbers in the Karnataka assembly trust vote. Seventeen legislators were absent from the session—12 Congress, 3 JD(S) rebels; two Congress members were reportedly hospitalised for ailments. Meanwhile, Youth Congress activists protested outside the Renaissance Hotel in Mumbai where the 15 rebel MLAs are holed up. Bengaluru police announced Section 144 (prohibitory orders) all across the city for a period of 48 hours. Pubs and liquor shops will remain shut.
Now, it is a question of whether the BJP would form the government or the mantle would fall to the president. This is also a sweet revenge of sorts for Yeddyurappa, who felt he was robbed off the chief ministership in 2018 when the Congress-JD(S) joined hands to pip th BJP amid a fractured verdict.
In his speech in the assembly, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had claimed that this was the end of the political career for the 15 rebel MLAs. "No one who has defected since 2013 has won. The same fate awaits the rebels. The sale of MLAs is a shameful act." Congress CLP chief Siddaramaiah said that 99 per cent people in the state knew that the BJP was involved in horse-trading. "Do you think you [Yeddyurappa] can become the chief minister for a full five years? You won't last six months," he said.
Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar, who had engaged in furious last-minute negotiations with the rebel MLAs, said he was hurt by the treason. "Treachery, thy name is politics. I am hurt the way my friends have Backstabbed me. We could have easily locked them up [rebel MLAs]. In that case, what would you [BJP] have done? But, they are my friends."