JD(S) expels three rebel MLAs disqualified from Karnataka Assembly for 'anti-party activities'

Bengaluru:  Janata Dal (Secular) president and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda Wednesday expelled the three disqualified MLAs who were responsible for bringing down the party’s coalition government in Karnataka for “anti-party” activities. The three who have been expelled with immediate effect are AH Vishwanath, K Gopalaiah and KC Narayanagowda. The three, who were JD(S) MLAs, had resigned from the state legislature and had abstained from voting along with 14 Congress MLAs, which led to the defeat of the Congress-JD(S) government during the trust vote on 23 July. The action by the party comes days after the rebel MLAs were disqualified from the state legislature by the then Assembly speaker Ramesh Kumar under the anti-defection law. The Congress on Tuesday had expelled 14 of its rebel MLAs who were disqualified.