Jubiliant BJP members on Thursday flashed victory signs as the saffron power won the trust vote in the Karnataka Assembly for the second time in a week.
The Speaker’s announcement that the BJP had sailed through the confidence motion with 106 votes was welcomed with shouts of joy.
Elated BJP members raised victory slogans as soon as the party won the second confidence motion.
Several ministers including Katta Subramanya Naidu and BJP MLAs rushed towards Chief Minister Yeddyurappa and congratulated him on winning the trust vote.
However, the Congress and JDS members are still optimistic as the validity of the second trust vote is linked to the High Court order relating to disqualification of 11 BJP MLAs and five independents.
The scene during the vote of confidence on Thursday was very different from that on October 11 when bedlam marred the proceedings and opposition members resorted to slogan shouting after the BJP was declared victorious by a voice vote.
This time around decorum and restrain was clearly visible in the House as the vote of confidence was taken up through a division of vote, as demanded by the opposition.
A strong posse of police personnel stood guard before the entrance of Vidhan Soudha while a large number of marshals took their positions inside the House as the special session of the House convened today.
The earlier scenes of supporters trying to push their way into the precincts of the Assembly was missing today with the police putting in place stringent security clearance measures and barring entry to non-members.
Earlier, MLAs, who were brought in buses by their respective parties, were subjected to a security check.
The speaker yesterday had barred the entry of 16 disqualified MLAs.
Yellow iron barricades lined the entrance of the Vidhan Soudha, preventing any mass entry into the House.
Stringent security measures were also in place for media personnel trying to enter the House with the speaker restricting the number of media personnel entering the House.
Inside the House, marshals stood guard. Police patrol vans just a few metres away from the House were deployed to prevent any untoward incident. Traffic in and around the area was also diverted.
Opposition Congress leader in the Assembly Siddaramaih said, “We wanted to participate in the proceedings that day (October 11). We wanted to participate in voting also. But police in uniform present in the House tried to prevent us from entering the House. Police had locked the doors”.
