Bengaluru, July 23: Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government in Karnataka lost trust vote on Tuesday during the floor test in the Vidhana Soudha. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received 105 votes, while the Congress-JDS alliance  got only 99 votes. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy broke down while delivering a speech  in the assembly. He said, "I am an accidental chief minister and had never thought of coming into politics."

Kumaraswamy further added that he is not a traitor and had worked honestly for the welfare of the state. He also highlighted the achievements of his government. During his emotional speech, he thanked all his officials including finance secretary, and principal secretary. Bengaluru Shut, Section 144 Imposed In City For 48 Hours Amid Karnataka Political Turmoil; Bars And Pubs Closed.

Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar on Monday had once again adjourned the floor test to 6 pm today. Kumar also summoned the 12 rebel Congress MLAs who resigned from their seats. Last week, the Supreme Court made it clear that rebel MLAs cannot be forced to attend the Assembly. After the court’s observation, the Congress-JDS alliance is facing difficulty to save their 13-month-old coalition government. However, the top court authorised the Speaker to decide on resignation of 15 MLAs including 12 congress and three JDS legislators. Karnataka Congress Faces Rebellion: DK Shivakumar Alleges Horse Trading by BJP, Accuses HD Kumaraswamy of Being Lenient.

If  the resignation of the MLAs is accepted, the strength of the assembly will reduce to 210 including a nominated legislator. With this majority mark also came down to 106. Two Independents also withdrew support from the coalition government. Currently, the alliance has a support of 101 MLA, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed to have the support of 107 legislators.

Karnataka floor test was impending for a week. Governer of Karnataka Vajubhai Vala on many occasions directed the members of the assembly to conclude the floor test. Before the political crisis erupted in the state, the Congress had 78 MLAs, while JDS had 37 legislators in the assembly of 224 members.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2019 07:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).