Yeddy Run Out By Loyal Challengers
The 55-Hour-Old CM Failed The Test Of Time As SC’s 1-Day Deadline Proved Too Short To Lure Away Cong-JD(S) MLAs
K’taka Shifts To HD: Kumaraswamy To Take Crease On Wed
Manu Aiyappa Kanathanda &Sandeep Moudgal TNN
Bengaluru:
A week after Karnataka went to the polls, four days after it threw up a fractured mandate and barely 55 hours after being sworn in chief minister, B S Yeddyurappa of the BJP resigned around 4pm — the time set by the Supreme Court for the floor test on Saturday.
With numbers staying as they were on Tuesday —104 for the BJP,117 for the JD(S)-Congress-BSP and independents combine — and the apex court dramatically curtailing the time given to him to prove his majority to28hoursfrom 15days,Yeddyurappa wasunableto maketheseat arithmeticwork. This forced him to resign before a floor test for the second timein his politicalcareer.
This paved the way for JDS’sHDKumaraswamy tobe sworn in chief minister and for the hastily-formed Congress-JDS alliance to form the government. Kumaraswamy's oath ceremony was initially slated for Monday (between noon and 1.05pm, apparently on the adviceof hisfather Deve Gowda’s astrologer). However, he later deferred it to Wednesday as May 21is the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. The assembly speaker will be chosen on Thursday.
The three-day-old drama, thus, ended in a tame anti-climax after having promised to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller (although TOI in its Saturday edition had listed pre-trust vote resignation asoneof thescenarios).
BJP’sinability towin the vote will have national implications and will boost the efforts of its rivalstoform an anti-BJP national coalition ahead of next year’s general election. Signalling this, Kumaraswamy saidthatinvitationsfor hisswearing-in ceremonywouldbeextended to Mayawati of BSP, Tejaswi Yadav of RJD, Akhilesh Yadav of SP, Mamata Bannerjee of TMC, KC Rao of TRS and Chandrababu Naidu of TDP. The Gandhis, Sonia and Rahul, of course, areinvited.
JD(S)’s HD Kumaraswamy and Cong’s D K Shivakumar celebrate B S Yeddyurappa’s resignation
Will ensure BJP wins all 28 LS seats: BSY
The day, though, wasn’t without drama. It started with the tired legislators of Congress and JD(S) doing the return bus trip from Hyderabad and checking into various star hotels. The Congress, by mid-morning, started releasing a series of audio recordings allegedly showing BJP leaders, including Yeddyurappa, reaching out to their MLAs. BJP denied these charges, including one where Yeddyurappa’s son Vijayendra and another close aide were purportedly heard making an MLA’s wife an offer of ₹15 crore or ₹5 crore plus a cabinet post for her husband’s cooperation.
In his exit speech BSY admitted that he had personally reached out to rival MLAs. “I admit that I had gotten in touch with MLAs to ensure that a stable BJP government is in power. The MLAs had even promised support but anything can happen in politics,” he said.
And, then, for the Congress there were anxious moments over two of its missing Congress MLAs. Mining baron Anand Singh (Vijayanagara) and Pratapgouda Patil (Maski) had vanished from the party camp soon after the results were announced. On Saturday, Patil was traced to a hotel close to Vidhana Soudha. Attempts by Congress leaders to meet him and serve the whip were unfruitful.
Mining baron Janardhana Reddy’s brother Somashekhar Reddy was supposedly closeted with him. Cops were pressed into service with senior officers visiting Patil in his room. However, Patil came to the assembly escorted by two BJP MLAs but on entering, chose to go to the Congress camp.
As TV screens streamed pictures of him having lunch with Congress MLAs the realisation set in that, perhaps, the game was up for the BJP. The needle didn’t seem to have moved in their number quest one bit.
Awhile later Anand Singh also appeared, accompanied by his family and Shivakumar. That drained all hope in the BJP camp. Soon, only Shobha Karandlaje, a close confidante of BSY, was seen in the visitors’ gallery, cutting a forlorn figure. With most of BJP’s senior brass by then opting to leave, she was seated next to Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Mallikarjun Kharge as Yeddyurappa rose to speak.
The Lingayat strongman began his emotional speech looking to send a message to his supporters and party leadership, saying: “If people of Karnataka had given me few more seats, I would have made Karnataka a model state. But I am not going to get bogged down by this defeat. I will ensure the party wins 28 out of 28 seats in Lok Sabha.’’ Repeatedly referring to Prime Minister Modi and party chief Amit Shah, he said he would continue his fight for the farmers’ rights. His 23-minute address brought applause from his colleagues and drew tears from the Udupi-Chikkamagalur MP Karandlaje.
Yeddyurappa said Karnataka may face a midterm poll with the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and took direct jibes at both his predecessor (Siddaramaiah) and successor (Kumaraswamy).
IN HIS OWN SPACE
The 55-Hour-Old CM Failed The Test Of Time As SC’s 1-Day Deadline Proved Too Short To Lure Away Cong-JD(S) MLAs
K’taka Shifts To HD: Kumaraswamy To Take Crease On Wed
Manu Aiyappa Kanathanda &Sandeep Moudgal TNN
Bengaluru:
A week after Karnataka went to the polls, four days after it threw up a fractured mandate and barely 55 hours after being sworn in chief minister, B S Yeddyurappa of the BJP resigned around 4pm — the time set by the Supreme Court for the floor test on Saturday.
With numbers staying as they were on Tuesday —104 for the BJP,117 for the JD(S)-Congress-BSP and independents combine — and the apex court dramatically curtailing the time given to him to prove his majority to28hoursfrom 15days,Yeddyurappa wasunableto maketheseat arithmeticwork. This forced him to resign before a floor test for the second timein his politicalcareer.
This paved the way for JDS’sHDKumaraswamy tobe sworn in chief minister and for the hastily-formed Congress-JDS alliance to form the government. Kumaraswamy's oath ceremony was initially slated for Monday (between noon and 1.05pm, apparently on the adviceof hisfather Deve Gowda’s astrologer). However, he later deferred it to Wednesday as May 21is the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. The assembly speaker will be chosen on Thursday.
The three-day-old drama, thus, ended in a tame anti-climax after having promised to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller (although TOI in its Saturday edition had listed pre-trust vote resignation asoneof thescenarios).
BJP’sinability towin the vote will have national implications and will boost the efforts of its rivalstoform an anti-BJP national coalition ahead of next year’s general election. Signalling this, Kumaraswamy saidthatinvitationsfor hisswearing-in ceremonywouldbeextended to Mayawati of BSP, Tejaswi Yadav of RJD, Akhilesh Yadav of SP, Mamata Bannerjee of TMC, KC Rao of TRS and Chandrababu Naidu of TDP. The Gandhis, Sonia and Rahul, of course, areinvited.
JD(S)’s HD Kumaraswamy and Cong’s D K Shivakumar celebrate B S Yeddyurappa’s resignation
Will ensure BJP wins all 28 LS seats: BSY
The day, though, wasn’t without drama. It started with the tired legislators of Congress and JD(S) doing the return bus trip from Hyderabad and checking into various star hotels. The Congress, by mid-morning, started releasing a series of audio recordings allegedly showing BJP leaders, including Yeddyurappa, reaching out to their MLAs. BJP denied these charges, including one where Yeddyurappa’s son Vijayendra and another close aide were purportedly heard making an MLA’s wife an offer of ₹15 crore or ₹5 crore plus a cabinet post for her husband’s cooperation.
In his exit speech BSY admitted that he had personally reached out to rival MLAs. “I admit that I had gotten in touch with MLAs to ensure that a stable BJP government is in power. The MLAs had even promised support but anything can happen in politics,” he said.
And, then, for the Congress there were anxious moments over two of its missing Congress MLAs. Mining baron Anand Singh (Vijayanagara) and Pratapgouda Patil (Maski) had vanished from the party camp soon after the results were announced. On Saturday, Patil was traced to a hotel close to Vidhana Soudha. Attempts by Congress leaders to meet him and serve the whip were unfruitful.
Mining baron Janardhana Reddy’s brother Somashekhar Reddy was supposedly closeted with him. Cops were pressed into service with senior officers visiting Patil in his room. However, Patil came to the assembly escorted by two BJP MLAs but on entering, chose to go to the Congress camp.
As TV screens streamed pictures of him having lunch with Congress MLAs the realisation set in that, perhaps, the game was up for the BJP. The needle didn’t seem to have moved in their number quest one bit.
Awhile later Anand Singh also appeared, accompanied by his family and Shivakumar. That drained all hope in the BJP camp. Soon, only Shobha Karandlaje, a close confidante of BSY, was seen in the visitors’ gallery, cutting a forlorn figure. With most of BJP’s senior brass by then opting to leave, she was seated next to Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Mallikarjun Kharge as Yeddyurappa rose to speak.
The Lingayat strongman began his emotional speech looking to send a message to his supporters and party leadership, saying: “If people of Karnataka had given me few more seats, I would have made Karnataka a model state. But I am not going to get bogged down by this defeat. I will ensure the party wins 28 out of 28 seats in Lok Sabha.’’ Repeatedly referring to Prime Minister Modi and party chief Amit Shah, he said he would continue his fight for the farmers’ rights. His 23-minute address brought applause from his colleagues and drew tears from the Udupi-Chikkamagalur MP Karandlaje.
Yeddyurappa said Karnataka may face a midterm poll with the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and took direct jibes at both his predecessor (Siddaramaiah) and successor (Kumaraswamy).
IN HIS OWN SPACE
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