14 MLAs disqualified in Karnataka |
In a major decision a day before the trust vote by BJP`s Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar disqualified 14 rebel legislators – 11 from the Congress and three from the Janata Dal (Secular) who had resigned and which resulted triggered the collapse of the JDS-Congress government. Ramesh announced the decision at a hurriedly called press conference on Sunday, just three days after he had disqualified three other rebel MLAs. His decision reduces the strength of the house to 207 from 225. While the majority mark for Yeddyurappa to win the confidence motion on Monday now falls to 104, it also means that the CM cannot accommodate the rebel MLAs in his cabinet. The BJP, with the support of an independent legislator, has 106 members in the house. Yeddyurappa, who took charge as chief minister on Friday after the fall of JDS¬-Congress coalition government, plans to table the Appropriation Bill soon after the trust vote to allow the government to draw funds from August 1. Speaker Ramesh Kumar, who was criticised for disqualifying three rebel MLAs from contesting elections till the expiry of the present assembly`s term in 2023, has applied the same conditions to the 14 MLAs. He said that he was disqualifying them in response to petitions filed by Congress and JDS legislator party leaders about their MLAs violating the whip.
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