Karnataka Election Results 2018 Latest Updates: Congress and JD(S) are planning to move their MLAs out of BJP-ruled Karnataka, news report said. The reports also claimed that JD(S) is mulling to shift its MLAs to Congress-ruled Punjab while Congress’ flock may be shifted to Kochi in Left-ruled Kerala. After Congress’ decision to stake claim to form a government in Goa, where it had emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly polls held last year, the Rashtriya Janata Dal decided to a take a leaf out of this strategy and meet the governor of Bihar. Speaking to the party workers after taking the oath of office, BS Yeddyurappa said that he doesn’t need 15 days to prove his majority and appeared confident of winning the floor test. He also said that he was grateful to the people of Karnataka and the bJP leadership for supporting him. In a fresh turn of events, the Congress has decided to retaliate in Goa, against the BJP’s decision to defend the governor’s decision to invite the single-largest party. The Goa Congress will belatedly parade its 16 MLAs outside the Raj Bhavan, demanding why a similar parameter was not adopted in Goa. Speaking to CNN-News18 about the ongoing Congress-JD(S) protests, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said ‘arrogant’ Congress was not ready to accept people’s mandate. “Congress’ arrogance is such that they won’t accept the people’s candidate even after losing in Karnataka. This is not democracy. But what else can you expect from Rahul Gandhi,” he said. Slamming the governor’s decision to invite BS Yeddyurappa to form the government in Karnataka, lawyer Ram Jethmalani said it was a “stupid” decision and that it was an open invitation to indulge in horse-trading. Offering a word of advice for the Congress, BSP chief Mayawati said the party shouldn’t have called JD(S) BJP’s ‘B-team’ during the campaign in Karnataka, which ended up dividing the Muslim vote in the state. According to CNN-News18, both K Chandrasekhar Rao and Chandrababu Naidu have offered to “shelter” the JD(S) MLAs. Meanwhile, the Left offered a “safe-house” to Congress MLAs in Kerala. Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani on Thursday mentioned before CJI Bench of Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud his application for urgent hearing against the Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala for inviting BS Yeddyurappa to form the government. The bench directed him to mention it on Friday before an appropriate bench. Newly-sworn-in Chief Minister of Karnataka BS Yeddyurappa addressed the media today. One of the first decisions that Yeddyurappa took as part of the one-man Cabinet was to waive off farm loans for 1 lakh farmers. Addressing the media, Yeddyurappa said: The moment I became the chief minister, I have decided to waive farm loans for 1 lakh farmers. And this is also for cooperative farm loans. I met with chief secretary Ratan Prabha and important points will be looked at. It will be finalised today or tomorrow norning. This is a promise I made to the farmer community and I am delivering on thart promise now. In a one-man Cabinet meeting, along with chief secretaries from various departments, newly inducted Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa announced a farm loan waiver of up to Rs 1 lakh, keeping in line his pre-poll promise. “There is no option left with the BJP, but to indulge in horse trading,” says former minister and KPCC working president, Dinesh Gundu Rao as suspense over Karnataka government formation continues with the Supreme Court posting the matter for hearing for Friday. Reports emerged that two Congress MLAs were missing from the Eagleton resort. However, MLA UT Khader dismissed these claims and said the two MLAs are on their way. “All MLAs are in contact. The two MLAs who are not present here right now will come. I also just came back from Mangaluru,” Khader told ANI. Union minister Ananth Kumar said the Congress should be protesting against the top leaders in the party. “If Congress wants to protest, they must protest against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah,” Kumar said after Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa was sworn-in. Congress MLAs and leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ashok Gehlot and Siddaramaiah, gathered at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Vidhan Soudha to protest against BS Yeddyurappa’s swearing in as chief minister of Karnataka. Both BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped BS Yeddyurappa’s swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday. However, Union ministers, JP Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan and Ananth Kumar were seen in attendance. BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa took over the chief ministerial reins for the third time amid loud cheers. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath. Ahead of BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa’s oath taking ceremony, Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted the BJP was making a mockery of the Constitution. “The BJP’s irrational insistence that it will form a Govt. in Karnataka, even though it clearly doesn’t have the numbers, is to make a mockery of our Constitution. This morning, while the BJP celebrates its hollow victory, India will mourn the defeat of democracy,” he tweeted. The BJP legislative party leader, BS Yeddyurappa, is set to take oath as the chief minister of Karnataka at 9 am on Thursday after late-night drama at the Supreme Court. The apex court, on the Congress-JD(S) petition against the governor’s decision to invite BJP to form the government, refused to order a stay on the swearing in ceremony. Congress and JD(S) workers will protest outside the Raj Bhavan as BS Yedyyurappa is all set to take oath as the chief minister of Karnataka. Nearly 16,000 policemen hae been posted in the state capital to maintain law and order as all eyes are set on formation of government in Karnataka. In its petition challenging the governor’s decision to invite BJP to form the government in Karnataka despite not having the majority number of MLAs, the Congress and JD(S) said that in its hunger for power, the BJP used the governor’s office and got invited itself from the governor. The Supreme Court has asked the Attorney General and Mukul Rohatgi to produce the letter of 15 May, which BS Yeddyurappa had given to the Governor (Karnataka) Vajubhai Vala to prove the BJP has the numbers to form the Karnataka government. The Supreme Court has refused to stop BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa’s swearing-in as Karnataka Chief Minister at 9am on Thursday, but will hear the case again on Friday. The court has asked that the letter given by Yeddyurappa and senior BJP leaders to the Governor in which it was stated that the party has the requisite number of MLAs to form the government be produced before the court. During the overnight hearing by the three-judge bench, comprising justices A K Sikri, SA Bobde and Ashok Bhushan, the letter of support from majority of MLAs submitted to the governor for forming the government had become a major sticking point. The Supreme Court said that it can’t overturn the decision of the Governor without seeing on what basis the BJP had claimed to have the numbers. The apex court made it clear that it won’t stay the swearing-in but it would be subject to outcome of the petition in the court on Friday. The Congress-JDS had moved the court late on Wednesday night, seeking a stay on the swearing-in, calling it unconstitutional. It argued that the Governor should have invited the majority post-poll coalition of JDS-Congress first. The 15-day window given to BJP to prove its majority was also deliberated upon, but the court refused to modify it, for now. Amid intense jockeying for power in Karnataka, the JD(S)-Congress combine’s chief ministerial candidate HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday claimed the BJP offered his MLAs Rs 100 crore in bribes to break ranks and back the BJP in government formation, a charge rejected by the saffron party. A day after Karnataka delivered a split verdict in the Assembly polls, and the rival camps intensified efforts to outmanoeuvre each other in the race for forming the government, Kumaraswamy, who was elected the JD(S) legislature party leader, dropped the Rs 100 crore bribe bombshell. As Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala invited BJP chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa to form the government, Congress and JDS reacted strongly. Kumaraswamy said, “Governor is encouraging horse-trading by BJP leaders, this is unconstitutional.” While Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, “The letter shows that even the governor doesn’t believe they have the majority.” He adds, “If two parties can’t come together in a post-poll alliance, then how did you form a government in Manipur?” “Our MLAs were offered Rs 100 crore by the BJP to break away. I want to know whether this is black or white money,” he told a press conference.“The JD(S)-Congress combine has 116 MLAs (including JD(S) pre-poll ally the BSP)…the BJP is trying to misuse its power being at the Centre and form its government through horsetrading,” he said. Kumaraswamy said that though which party to invite first is the prerogative of the governor “without the numbers how can they (BJP) form the government”. Replying to a question, he rejected outright the possibility of forming a coalition government with the BJP. “I am going to meet the governor with the state Congress president and formally stake claim to form the government,” he said. Union minister Prakash Javadekar promptly dismissed the JD(S) charge, calling it “imaginary”. “This (talk of) Rs 100 crore, Rs 200 crore is imaginary. The BJP is not doing this. We are not in the habit of practising horsetrading. This is the kind of politics JD(S) and Congress do. We are going by the rule book and we will form the government,” Javadekar said. The allegation was, however, repeated by outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah, who accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of encouraging horsetrading so the BJP returned to power. “Narendra Modi is encouraging horsetrading. The governor has to give (the first) opportunity (for forming the government) to us,” he told reporters. When asked about reports that some of the 78 newly elected Congress MLAs skipped today’s meeting of its legislature party, he said, “We are all united”. DK Shivakumar, the resourceful minister in the Siddaramaiah government who had hosted party lawmakers from Gujarat at a resort in Karnataka to prevent “poaching” by the BJP ahead of Rajya Sabha elections in that state, also claimed two MLAs who were reportedly missing were with the Congress. “Nagendra and Anand Singh are in touch with us. All 78 MLAs are together. If we are not, people will beat us,” he told India Today. The newly elected MLAs of the BJP, which emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats in the 224-member House, chose BS Yeddyurappa as their leader. Immediately thereafter, Yeddyurappa made a dash for Raj Bhavan and staked claim to form the government. “I requested Governor Vajubhai Vala to allow me to take oath as early as possible. We are 100 percent confident that he will take a decision immediately,” he later told journalists. Kumaraswamy, who has emerged the dark horse in the three-horse race with just 37 MLAs, was formally elected the leader of the JD(S) legislature party. He said the Congress had extended unconditional support to the JD(S) for forming the government and “we will provide a stable rule for full five years”. Meanwhile, the newly elected Congress MLAs also met to discuss the strategy for government formation. “We exchanged views on our strategy for forming the government,” a party leader said after the meeting, and added the issue of electing the new leader of the Congress party legislature was not discussed. With inputs from PTI
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