In what seemed to be a bid by the ruling BJP to prevent the governor from recommending the dismissal of the state government, the party submitted individual letters of support of 10 BJP MLAs, whose disqualification was set aside by the Supreme Court, to Mr H.R. Bhardwaj on Sunday evening.
The ten MLAs went directly from HAL airport in a bus to Raj Bhavan to submit the letters. However, the governor did not meet them and instead entertained a delegation of BJP leaders, including ministers, who handed over the letters of support of the MLAs.
Ministers Murugesh Nirani, V. Somanna, C.H. Vijayashankar, and BJP spokespersons, V. Dhananjay Kumar and Ayanur Manjunath, met the governor and submitted the letters of support.
Except for BJP rebel MLA from Chamaraja constituency, Shankaralinge Gowda, all ten MLAs gave letters of support to the Yeddyurappa government and stated that they wanted to withdraw their earlier letter withdrawing support to the same government.
After submitting the letters to the governor, BJP spokesperson Dhananjay Kumar told reporters that the governor had received the letters of support.
Before the BJP leaders met the governor, Congress leaders were closeted with him and had demanded the dismissal of the BJP government in view of the Supreme Court judgment on the disqualification issue. The leaders, who included Opposition leaders Siddaramaiah and Motamma and KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar, met the governor and demanded the dismissal of the state government.
According to them, after the Supreme Court judgment, the state government has lost its majority. On Sunday afternoon, before the governor arrived in Bengaluru, JD(S) spokesperson Y.S.V Datta submitted a memorandum to Mr Bhardwaj’s officers, demanding the dismissal of the BSY government as it had lost its majority in the aftermath of the Supreme Court judgment reversing the disqualification of the 10 MLAs.
Soon after Mr Bhardwaj arrived in Bengaluru from New Delhi at 2 pm and reached Raj Bhavan, hectic political activity began.