Missing Congress MLAs are with BJP's MLA Somasekhar Reddy

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 19 (ANI): Two Karnataka Congress MLAs, who had been missing for the past few days, have been located at a Bengaluru hotel with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA G. Somasekhar Reddy, according to sources.

Earlier on Saturday, ahead of the crucial floor test, the two MLAs - Anand Singh and Pratap Gowda Patil - did not appear in the state assembly to administer the oath.

The security has been tightened outside Goldfinch Hotel in Bengaluru where the two Congress MLAs have been located.

The floor test is slated to take place at 4 pm in Karnataka's Vidhana Soudha.

Both the Congress in alliance with the JD(S) and the BJP have claimed to have the simple majority in the house that is 111 for the now effectively 221-member assembly.

Earlier, the Karnataka assembly was of 224 members, but it reduced by three seats as polling for the two seats did not take place on May 12 and one member has been elected from two seats.

On Friday, Vala appointed Bopaiah as pro-tem speaker ahead of floor test in the state assembly, breaking the convention of appointing the senior-most legislator.

Yesterday, while hearing a petition of the Congress-JD(S) alliance, the Supreme Court reduced the time given by the Governor to the BJP to prove simple majority in the house and asked the party to hold the trust vote on Saturday at 4 pm.

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 Vala's invitation to the BJP to form the government in the state.

The BJP is the single-largest party in the state assembly with 104 MLAs, however, they are still short of the simple majority mark of 111 by seven MLAs whereas the Congress alliance has 117 MLAs, including two Independent legislators. (ANI)

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