As fate of the rebels hang in balance, the next move is to move SC against Speaker

Bengaluru, July 25: The balls is in the Speaker's court and it would not be wrong to say that it has been there for a very long time.

After the coalition collapsed on Tuesday, all eyes are on the Speaker, who is yet to take a call on the resignations of the rebel MLAs. The BJP too does not want to make any hasty move unless the fate of the rebels is decided.

While the Supreme Court directed the Speaker to decide on the resignations, there was no time limit that was fixed. The Speaker has to take some decision. Either he accepts the resignations or disqualifies them, said one Karnataka leader to OneIndia.

The BJP would be able to offer more clarity on the issue, once the meeting with the Central leadership is over. Top leaders of the BJP, Karnataka are in Delhi and are meeting with both Amit Shah and J P Nadda.

For the rebel MLAs, the wait is getting too long. They have been away from karnataka for over two weeks now and want to return. All of them have been shifted to the Amby Valley in Lonavla.

A source said that if the Speaker continues to delay his decision, then they would have no option but to go to the Supremo Court. On Wednesday, the SC put off the matter relating to the Karnataka floor stating that none of the senior counsels were present.

Meanwhile the BJP will wait until the issue relating to the rebels is decided. B S Yeddyurappa said that they were waiting for a green-signal from the central leadership. I can go and stake a claim at Raj Bhavan anytime, but I will wait for a go ahead he said.

Delhi BJP leaders say they do not want to rush into anything. We want the process to be smooth. We can go ahead and form the government now that the numbers in the House are reduced. However, we do not want a crisis to erupt in the next couple of months. The BJP does not want to be held hostage by anyone, the leader also said.

For the BJP, a decision on the rebels by the Speaker is absolutely crucial. Their resignations have not been accepted and neither has any decision on their disqualification been taken. This means the strength of the House stands at 225. The BJP with 107 including the two independents would still be short of the 113 majority mark.