Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Wins Floor Test Easily, Outsmarted BJP Walks Out

Picture Courtesy : Hindustan Times

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy comfortably proved majority on the floor of the Legislative Assembly with 117 MLAs voting in favour of the Congress-JD(S) alliance. The trust vote was approved by voice vote.

The BJP, which has 104 MLAs but  failed to prove majority on the floor of the house , walked out of the Assembly in protest against the ‘unholy’ partnership between the Congress and JD(S).

Kumaraswamy was emotional in his speech saying he had made a big mistake throwing in his lot with the BJP in 2006, and it had hurt and upset and fractured his relationship with his father. And his decision to go with the Congress this time was driven by the guilt of what happened then.

Speaking about his father, Kumaraswamy said his father HD Deve Gowda, has spent most of his time in the Opposition, so the allegations that the JD-S tied up with the Congress for lust for power is wrong. He also said his father declined the offer of the BJP to support them because he did not want his secular credentials to be questioned.

Meanwhile , the former BJP CM for two days BS Yeddyurappa warned that the party will launch a state-wide protest on May 28 if Kumaraswamy doesn’t waive off farmers’ loans.

Earlier Congress MLA KR Ramesh Kumar was elected unanimously as the Speaker after BJP’s nominee S Suresh Kumar withdrew his candidature.

Ramesh Kumar had previously served as the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly between 1994 and 1999. In the previous government headed by Siddaramaiah, he was a Cabinet minister. This time, he defeated JD(S) candidate GK Venkatashivareddy by a margin 10,552 votes from Srinivaspur seat.