Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Thursday comfortably won a trust vote in the state Assembly — his third in nine months — amid a noisy walkout by the Opposition Congress.
The other Opposition party, the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), which has 26 members in the Lower House, remained conspicuous by its absence as it decided to boycott the 10-day Budget Session that began on Thursday.
“The confidence motion, moved by the chief minister on the floor of the 225-member house (including one nominated) has been voted in favour by 119 votes against none,” Assembly Speaker K.G. Bhopaiah declared even as 71 members of the Congress staged a walk out amid noisy scenes.
The Yeddyurappa-led first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in this southern state had previously won trust votes October 11 and October 14, 2010. Though there was no demand by the opposition or any directive by state governor H.R. Bhardwaj to the chief minister for proving his majority in the house, Yeddyurappa decided to move the one-line confidence motion suo motu to prove that his ruling party enjoyed the majority of the house.
“I have moved the confidence motion to demonstrate that we have a comfortable majority in the Assembly as even the 11 legislators whose membership was restored by the Supreme Court recently (May 13) have extended unconditional support to my government,” an elated Yeddyurappa told reporters soon after the house was adjourned for the day. With the return of the 11 rebel lawmakers to the party fold, the BJP has 120 members, including the speaker, the Congress 71, and the JD-S 26.
Of the remaining, six are independents, including five whose membership was restored by the apex court after they were disqualified along with the 11 BJP rebels October 10, 2010 by the speaker ahead of the trust vote the next day. One Assembly seat is vacant following the resignation of JD-S lawmaker Karadi Sangana after he abstained from second trust vote October 14, 2010.