Karnataka: BJP to stake claim to form new government on Wednesday

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will stake claim to form the next government in Karnataka on Wednesday after meeting Governor Vajubhai Vala, state BJP leader R. Ashoka said.

Governor Vala on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister of the 14-month-old JD(S)-Congress coalition government and asked him to continue as the caretaker CM till alternative arrangements were made.

Kumaraswamy submits resignation to Governor Bengaluru, July 23 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Tuesday submitted his resignation to Governor Vajubhai Vala shortly after losing the confidence motion in the Assembly.

Soon after the outcome, Kumaraswamy drove to the Raj Bhavan along with deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and other senior colleagues and handed over the resignation, officials said.

"I hereby tender my resignation to the post of chief minister of Karnataka along with my cabinet and I request you to kindly accept the same.

I take this opportunity to extend grateful thanks for the cooperation given to me and my colleagues during the tenure," the letter said.

In his letter to Kumaraswamy, the Governor said, "I have accepted the resignation tendered by you with immediate effect.

Until alternate arrangements are made, kindly continue as caretaker Chief Minister.

It is needless to state that no executive decisions should be taken during this period."

Soon after the Kumaraswamy government lost the confidence vote, BJP's Karnataka president B.S. Yeddyurappa said that a “new era of development will start from now onwards”.

Yeddyurappa, who is likely to take over as chief minister, said "It is the victory of democracy. People were fed up with the Kumaraswamy government.

I want to assure the people of Karnataka that a new era of development will start from now onwards," he said.

The confidence motion moved by Kumaraswamy was defeated with 99 voting in favour and 105 against it.

"Kumaraswamy moved the motion for trust vote. As per the procedure, voice vote was conducted first, followed by division of voters after opposition leader B.S. Yeddyurappa of the BJP pressed for division. I will vote only if there is a tie. To save the dignity of the chair, I will not vote now," the Speaker said in Kannada.

In the division of votes, 99 were for the motion and 105 against it.

Of the 20 legislators who were absent from the floor test, 15 were rebels of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition, two Congress members who are admitted to the hospitals in Bengaluru and Mumbai, two Independents and one BSP member.

The political crisis gripped the fledgling government in the state after 13 Congress and 3 JD-S rebels resigned between July 1 and July 10 in protest against decisive leadership and lack of development across the southern state.

Senior Congress lawmaker and former minister R. Ramalinga Reddy, however, withdrew his resignation and voted in favour of the motion on Tuesday.