Karnataka Floor Test: Trust Vote Unlikely To Happen Today As Kumaraswamy Skips 2 Deadlines By Speaker

Fate of Janata Dal Secular (JDS)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka hangs in uncertainty as even on Friday Chief Minster HD Kumarasway was not able meet the deadline of Governor Vijubhai Vala to prove his majority in the floor of the House.

Now, the Congress-JDS members seek adjournment of House till Monday. (Image: PTI)

Karnataka Floor test: Fate of Janata Dal Secular (JDS)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka hangs in uncertainty as even on Friday Chief Minster HD Kumarasway was not able meet the deadline of Governor Vijubhai Vala to prove his majority in the floor of the House. According to recent reports, the floor test of Kumaraswamy government is unlikely to take place today.  The Governor gave two deadlines to the chief minister to prove his majority, a 2016 Supreme Court verdict assumes significance in which it had held that it is not within the governor's domain to interfere with the functions of the Speaker as he is "neither a guide, nor a mentor" to the latter. Now, the Congress-JDS members seek adjournment of House till Monday. Kumaraswamy has also moved the Supreme Court against its July 17 order that the 15 rebel MLAs cannot be forced to attend Assembly proceedings. "It is important that all members should be given an opportunity to speak on the floor. All MLAs have to go back to their respective constituencies as well," Karnataka CM said while speaking in the Parliament today. Earlier the Governor had issued a second deadline to the ruling coalition government asking them to prove majority by today 6 pm. The deadline was issued via a letter to Kumaraswamy which read, “When the allegations of horse-trading are widely made and I am receiving many such complaints, it is constitutionally imperative that the Floor Test be completed without any delay and today itself.” Earlier in the day, the Karnataka legislative Assembly failed to meet the 1.30 pm deadline set by the Governor for Kumaraswamy to prove his majority in the House. When the deadline ended, BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa stood up and pressed for division on the vote of confidence moved by the Chief Minister. The Speaker said there was a process to be followed and the motion would be put to vote, if pressed for, according to rules after discussion. Kumaraswamy has also moved the Supreme Court objecting Governor's direction on trust vote in the House. Kumaraswamy questioned the deadlines set by the Governor saying that the directions of the Governor are in contravention of apex court's earlier verdict. In his application, the chief minister said: "No such direction on trust vote could have been issued by Governor when confidence motion was already initiated."

Karnataka Chief Minister, H D Kumaraswamy has also moved the Supreme Court and challenged the Governor's letter which had asked him to complete the trust vote by 1.30 pm today pic.twitter.com/rvgOc3VQfM

— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2019

Claiming that the Governor was overreaching his power, the petition of SM said: "The debates on the motion are currently ongoing and the House is in session. The Speaker has opined that the division will take place only at the end of the debate. Kumaraswamy claimed that the Governor sent a communication directing that the confidence motion and the trust vote should be held before 1.30 p.m. on July 19. "I have respect for the Governor. But the second love letter from the Governor has hurt me. He only came to know about horse-trading 10 days ago? I leave the decision on the floor test to you (the Speaker). It won't be directed by Delhi. I request you to protect me from the letter sent by the Governor," CM said. The Jantha Dal-Secular presently has 37 MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly. The JD-S chief contends that his party has a constitutional right to issue a whip to its legislators. "The exercise of this right under the Constitution is not circumscribed by any condition nor can it be subject to any restrictive qua timet orders even prior to the issuance of the whip," Kumaraswamy argued. Karnataka is facing a political crisis after several Congress and JD-S MLAs resigned from the House or joined hands with the BJP in a bid to pull down the Congress-JD-S coalition government.