Yediyurappa to prove majority in Karnataka Assembly on July 29

Bengaluru, July 26: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday assumed office shortly after taking oath and said that his government which has 105 MLAs would prove majority on Monday (July 29). He said he would prove majority on Monday at 10 am and pass the Finance Bill.

After the disqualification of three rebel CongressMLAs, the current strength of the 225-member assembly, excluding the Speaker, is 221 and the half-way mark 111. The present party position is BJP along with one independent 106, Congress 76 (including MLAs decision on whose resignations and disqualification plea is pending), JDS 37 (including resigned and pending disqualification), one BSP, one Nominated and the Speaker, who has a casting vote in case of a tie.

"I thank people of the state who gave me the opportunity to be the Chief Minister. My Chief Minister's post is the respect to the people of the state. On Monday (29 July), I will prove majority at 10 am and pass the Finance Bill," he said after assuming office.

"I have taken two prominent decisions in the Cabinet meeting. In addition to the Prime Minister Kisan Scheme, I will also provide two installments of Rs. 2000 to the beneficiaries. I will discuss with Amit Shah ji and other leaders. If necessary, I will go to Delhi tomorrow, we will take the decision afterwards," he added.

BS Yediyurappa was sworn in as the chief minister for a fourth time on Friday in a sudden twist to the protracted high political drama in the state with a big challenge to manage numbers staring him in the face.

Yediyurappa alone took the oath, succeeding HD Kumaraswamy, three days after the Congress-JDS coalition government crumbled under the weight of a rebellion by a big chunk of its lawmakers, when it lost the motion of confidence in the state assembly. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 76-year old Yediyurappa, credited with leading the BJP to its first ever government in the south in 2008, at a brief function in the Raj Bhavan in the evening.

"Trust placed in me is overwhelming. With Growth, Prosperity, Inclusion & Development as the 4 main pillars of Governance,I will represent & fulfill the aspirations of the people of Karnataka.I thank MLAs & every BJP Karyakatha for their tireless efforts, perseverance & dedication," tweeted Yediyurappa today.

The Lingayat strongman's move to stake claim for the government formation came as a sudden development on Friday morning, a day after three rebel Congress-JDS MLAs were disqualified by the assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar, heightening suspense over a new dispensation being in place.
Speaking about the sudden turn of events on government formation, Yediyurappa told BJP workers before the swearing-in that party national president and Home Minister Amit Shah spoke over phone to him in the morning and asked him to prepare for the oath on Friday.

The BJP veteran, who changed the spelling of his name from Yeddyurappa to Yediyurappa with the move becoming public Friday, is making it to mantle of chief ministership 14 months after he demitted the coveted office being unable to prove the majority in the state assembly.

The Speaker is yet to decide on the resignations of 14 MLAs and disqualification petitions against them, three of whom are from JD(S) and the rest from the Congress. He had on Thursday disqualified three rebel Congress MLAs.

In the trial of strength on Tuesday, 105 members had voted against the confidence motion and 99 in favour with 20 members being absent.

As political uncertainty continued to hover over the state even after the fall of the JDS-Congress ministry, BJP leadership was awaiting "instructions" from party's central leadership to stake the claim for forming the government, which finally came Friday.

In his letter to the Governor staking claim, Yediyurappa noted at present the BJP's strength is 105 and it was the single-largest party in the assembly.