BENGALURU: Despite numbers not adding up in his favour Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday proposed to move a confidence motion in the assembly. On the first day of monsoon session of Karnataka assembly, Kumaraswamy appealed to the Speaker to allot him time for a 'voluntary' floor test. With the BJP reluctant to move a 'no-confidence motion' against the coalition, whose numbers will fall to 101 if resignations of 16 MLAs are accepted, chief minister voluntarily sought a trust vote.
"Lot of things are happening in our state's politics today because of the decisions of many MLAs. It has created a difficult situation. I am not here to hang on to power permanently. I appeal to you that in light of the developments I want to move a motion of confidence," Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy told the Speaker as he responded to obituaries moved as convention on the first day of the session.
With 11 MLAs submitting their resignations afresh to the speaker on Thursday, total number of resignations stand at 16 and two independent MLAs have withdrawn support to the Congress-JDS coalition. The BJP currently has 105 legislators in the assembly. The speaker is yet to take a call on chief minister Kumaraswamy's request and set a time for the trust vote.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered status quo regarding ten Karnataka MLAs till it hears the matter again on July 16.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi also asked the Speaker not to decide on disqualification or resignation of MLAs till that date as weighty Constitutional issues needed to be addressed first.