The BJP presented a surplus, farmer friendly budget for Rs 18.85 crore for the year 2008-09. Emphasis was also given to Bengaluru city with Rs 36,000 crore being allocated for infrastructure development. In his budget speech, Yeddyurappa said that the main intention was to improve the image of Bengaluru and put it on the global map. For this to take place the development of infrastructure was the key.
Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa moved a motion seeking a vote of confidence in the legislative assembly at 1530 hours. The one line motion moved by Yeddyurappa requested the opposition to approve the motion without a debate. He requested that the vote of confidence be held immediately, but opposition Congress insisted that a debate be held before the vote of confidence takes place.
Vidhan Soudha, the seat of power in Karnataka, will be back in business, with the three- day Special Session of the Karnataka Legislative getting underway on Wednesday.
Coalitions in Karnataka are a relatively new concept. The first real coalition was formed only in 2004 by the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular with N Dharam Singh as the chief minister. After this government fell, the JD-S joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party and formed the government with H D Kumaraswamy as the chief minister.
The sources said elections will most likely to be held within six months. The decision by the Parliament was taken after the Union Cabinet gave its approval taking into account the fact that no party was able to form the government.
Since the time the elections were held in 2004, the people have just been helpless spectators to the political fiasco in the state. The JD-S initially formed the government with the Congress, and then dumped it to team up with the Bharatiya Janata Party after a power sharing pact. But when it was time to hand over power to the BJP, the JD-S backtracked. After negotiations, the two parties agreed to form the government but the JD-S again withdrew support at the last minute
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday bagged 110 seats in the elections to the 224-member Karnataka assembly. The Congress won 80 seats, while the Janata Dal-Secular won 28 seats. Others won six.
While the past experience with the Janata Dal-Secular has ruled out a re-alliance as of now, it seems likely that the BJP may rely on the five independent candidates who have been elected on Sunday. The BJP top brass is already in touch with the five independent candidates to muster their support in order to form the first ever independent BJP government in south India.
H D Deve Gowda may have created an impact of sorts when he made the speech in Parliament, which was debating whether to dissolve the Karnataka Legislative Assembly or not.
Amid stepped-up pressure on him by the BJP-JD(S) combine to consider its claim for government formation in Karnataka, Governor Rameshwar Thakur on Sunday said he was yet to take a decision in this regard
Former Karnataka chief minister S R Bommai died in Bangalore on Wednesday after a prolonged illness. He was 84.
"JD-S will not transfer power to BJP. See what all will happen on October 3," Singh, a former chief minister, told reporters in Bangalore on Thursday.
A crucial meeting of the Janata Dal-Secular legislature party is scheduled to commence at 0900 hours where a final call will be taken whether to support the BJP or not. JDS supreme H D Deve Gowda has been authorised by his party to take the final decision.
Even if Kumaraswamy gets the support of independents and the Janata Dal-United, he will not be able to form the government as he needs to have at least 113 of the 226 seats in the Assembly. The JD-S now has 57 seats in the Legislative Assembly, which means it will need another 56 seats to gain a majority. Even with the support of independents and the Janata Dal-United, the JD-S will only have 70 seats, thus falling short of 43 seats.
The state is funding the tour even as ten districts were in the grip of monsoon fury and at least six districts were drought-hit. The government had asked for central funds for relief measures.
The BJP is has set its sight on regaining power by winning 150 out of 224 assembly seats.
The high court had in 2005 disqualified the legislator on a petition filed by one S S Bagali under the Representation of People's Act.
The legislators had earlier been lodged in a resort on the outskirts of Chennai.
The resignation letter states he is resigning as MLA of Mandya constituency, without assigning any reason.
The Congress that had announced a list of 218 candidates in one go for the 224 member Karnataka legislative assembly on April 15, had kept the names of candidates for six seats on hold.
A committee was set up after the Bharatiya Janata Party's IT cell chief announced in a tweet the schedule for the Karnataka assembly polls before the official declaration on March 27.
'It has been a phenomenal effort at all levels of the government.' 'People were working 15-16 hour shifts in the central government, in the state governments, in the districts....'
Suresh Kumar said he was withdrawing his nomination following a direction from the BJP leadership.
Asserting he will abide by rules, the speaker said he will take a "just decision which may be of convenience to some and inconvenience to some."
The 10 rebel MLAs had moved apex court alleging that the Karnataka assembly speaker was not accepting their resignations.
'The BJP was looking at one or two disgruntled guys to see whether it can destabilise the government.' 'When the BJP does not win a state, it uses these back hand methods.'
The Commission said it cannot, under the existing law, disqualify a contesting candidate or prevent him from contesting the election, nor can it prevent an elector from casting his vote in an election, if otherwise qualified and eligible, as is being demanded by some of the parties.
He said, according to the party constitution, a 3-member enquiry committee would be set up, which after going through their (suspended MLAs) replies to the notice.
The Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday saw cross-voting by a BJP MLA while another party legislator claimed that she was prevented from voting.
Siddaramaiah seems overwhelmed by problems coming at him from every direction, reports Aditi Phadnis.
The Congress, in its application termed the governor's action as a "brazen unconstitutional" act to appoint "a junior MLA as the pro tem speaker.
Thirty Members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly are headed to South America to 'study' the waterfalls in the Amazon forests.