It is a hectic weekend for leaders from across the political spectrum in Karnataka, with the coalition partners Congress-JD(S) as well as the Opposition BJP carefully guarding their own flock while trying to woo MLAs who have already transgressed or fear they might.
The Assembly session is set to resume on Monday after the weekend break and the Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to hear a plea by the JD(S) and Congress MLAs who have resigned.
The weekend is a short window for last-minute effort by the coalition government to hang on to power and for the BJP to firm up its strategy to topple the government with the ruling dispensation’s numbers dwindling. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has already announced that he would seek a trust vote.
The sustained efforts of Congress leaders paid off late on Saturday when Housing Minister N. Nagaraju (MBT), one of the MLAs who had identified himself with the rebels, announced that he would take back his resignation.
The day began very early for Congress Minister and “troubleshooter” D.K. Shivakumar who landed at the house of Mr. Nagaraju.
It was a long negotiation to woo him back into the Congress fold, with CLP leader Siddaramaiah and the Chief Minister too getting involved in it. An effort was also made to woo back rebel MLAs K. Sudhakar and Ramalinga Reddy.
Sudhakar in Mumbai
While Mr. Reddy seemed to be uncertain about his future course of action, the party seemed to have failed to contact Dr. Sudhakar. BJP sources confirmed that he flew to Mumbai to join the other rebel MLAs who are in a hotel there.
Two BJP MLAs — Arvind Limbavali and Balachandra Jarkiholi — both known to have played a key role in wooing coalition MLAs under Operation Lotus, left for New Delhi to meet the party’s central leadership.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath will be in Bengaluru on Sunday as his party battles a political crisis to save the coalition government in Karnataka.
