New Delhi: Karnataka Assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar on Thursday disqualified two Congress rebel MLAs Ramesh L Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli and legislator R Shankar who was elected independently (but later merged with Congress) till the end of the term of current House in 2023.

Though Shankar was elected in the May 2018 Assembly elections as a KPJP candidate, the Speaker said he had merged the regional outfit with the Congress in June as he was the only its elected member, the Speaker said.

"Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah informed me in June that Shankar had merged his KPJP with the Congress after he was made minister in the H.D. Kumaraswamy coalition government," said Kumar.

The move has heightened the suspense over government formation exercise in the state two days after the collapse of the Congress-JDS ministry.

Giving his ruling, the Speaker said he would take a decision on the remaining 14 cases in a "couple of days."

Kumar said members disqualified under the anti-defection law cannot contest or get elected to the assembly till the end of the term of the House.

He said he was convinced that the resignations by the three members were not voluntary and genuine and he had therefore rejected them and proceeded to disqualify them under the anti-defection law.

"They have violated the provisions of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law) and therefore are disqualified," he said.

The speaker's announcement came two days after the Congress-JDS coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy collapsed as it lost the trust vote in the assembly in the backdrop of the rebellion by a section of their MLAs.

(with inputs from agencies)