For the second time in three days, Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will seek a trust vote in the state assembly on Thursday after governor H.R. Bhardwaj declared Monday's confidence vote as "farce" and forced the exercise on him.
Mr Yeddyurappa and the BJP is not under moments of tense in facing the second trial of strength as it enjoyed required numbers in the 224-member house, which has now been reduced to 208 after the controversial disqualification of sixteen rebel MLAs.
In the House, the BJP now has 106 members including the Speaker, Congress 73, JD(S) 28, Independents one and 16 vacancies. The ruling side on Wednesday renewed its "operation lotus" and lured back the lone independent Varthur Prakash to its fold.
The BJP now commands the support of 107 MLAs and it expects JDS member M C Ashwath from Chennappa to lend his hand.
All political parties have issued whip to their respective members. The BJP has issued the whip asking their members to vote in favour of the motion and the opposition JD(S) and Congress to oppose it.
Even after winning the motion of confidence, Mr Yeddyurappa and the BJP cannot rest on its outcome, which now has been subjected to the verdict by the high court on a batch of petitions filed by 16 MLAs challenging the order of Speaker Bopaiah to disqualify them.
The petitions are coming up for hearing on October 18. The police have virtually laid a siege to Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, occupying every inch of space to thwart any trouble during the trust vote and avoid the ugly scenes that unfolded on Monday.
On October 11, Mr Yeddyurpapa won the trust motion by a voice vote, which was rejected by the governor and questioned by Opposition. Bhardwaj had on Monday recommended the Centre to impose President's rule in the state, but gave "another opportunity" to Mr Yeddyurappa to prove his strength in the Assembly on Thursday.