2 Congress MLAs resign from Karnataka Assembly, BJP keeps close watch

Bengaluru: In a blow to the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in Karnataka, two Congress legislators, including rebel MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, on Monday sent in their resignations from the state Assembly.

In his hand-written letter in Kannada, faxed to the office of Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar, Jarkiholi complained his party had "ignored" his seniority after dropping from the cabinet last year.

"I have resigned as Gokak legislator for being ignored by the party and the coalition government," he said.

His resignation came within hours of party legislator Anand Singh quitting the house to protest the Congress-JD-S coalition government's plans to sell over 3,667 acres in Ballari to JSW Steel Ltd.

"I have submitted my resignation letter to Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar at his residence, as I am unhappy with the coalition government's decision to sell the land to Jindal steel firm," Singh, who represents the Vijayanagar assembly constituency in Ballari, told reporters here.

After the resignations, the JD(S)-Congress alliance have 114 members in the Karnataka Assembly. The majority mark is 113. The BJP, with 105 lawmakers, is keeping a close watch. The Karnataka Assembly also has a BSP and an independent legislator.

Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa said Vijayanagara Congress MLA Anand Singh's resignation reflects large-scale unease in the ruling coalition and the government will collapse under its own weight, after which his party will explore the constitutional provisions to form the new government.

"We will keep watching the situation. Anything may happen. If the government collapses, we are not responsible. It will collapse under its own weight," he told reporters.

"Only after the collapse of this government we can explore the constitutional provisions to form the new government. There is no question of elections. We are a strong force of 105 members and we have every right to make a claim for forming the government if the present one collapses," he added.

(With inputs from IANS and PTI)