Accordingly in the 14 months since the Karnataka Assembly elections, the state government has been in crisis countless times. But on Monday, it looks like the Congress-JD(S) combine in the state has lost its majority. Meanwhile with the resignation of 13 MLAs (yet to be accepted), and the defection of one independent MLA to the BJP, the coalition’s number stands at 105 (including the Speaker) at the time of writing and the halfway mark in the House now reduced to 211, is 106.
Furthermore the Congress-JD(S) coalition, in a last ditch attempt to save the government, has decided that all sitting 22 Congress ministers will resign to make way for the rebels. Perhaps it is unclear if JD(S) ministers and the Chief Minister himself will resign. Moreover sources say that the BJP has also promised Cabinet berths to the rebel MLAs, so whether the coalition’s matching offer will be taken up by the defectors will have to be seen.
Moreover by the looks of it, the BJP has the numbers 105 of their own legislators, plus one independent H nagesh from Mulbagal. However, the BJP is yet to stake claim to form the government, though it does have the numbers and the party is not likely to do so immediately due to two important reasons, but at the end of the day, it is likely that it will come down to a numbers game and one MLA here or there will be the difference between who will rule Karnataka, or whether the state will see mid-term elections soon.
