Congress MLAs leave Hyderabad for Bengaluru

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 18 (ANI): Karnataka Congress MLAs have left Hotel Taj Krishna in Hyderabad for Bengaluru to participate in the floor test in Karnataka Assembly on Saturday evening.

Congress MLAs will be travelling to Bengaluru.

Fearing defection to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the grand old party and JD(S) had shifted their MLAs from a resort to numerous hotels in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court ruled that a floor test should be conducted on Saturday at 4 pm for BJP to prove their majority in the Karnataka assembly.

The decision was taken after the top court heard the arguments for and against the petition filed by the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) following Governor Vajubhai R. Vala's invitation to the BJP to form the government in the state.

The BJP has 104 MLAs but they are still short of the simple majority mark of 113 by nine MLAs and have been given 24 hours to prove the same in the assembly by the apex court.

However, if two 'missing' Congress MLAs do not get to vote tomorrow, the halfway mark will fall to 111.

On the other hand, Congress (78 seats) and JD-S (37 seats), along with two independent candidates have formed a post-poll alliance and are staking claim to form the government in Karnataka, with a total of 117 MLAs. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI