Karnataka: 7 Congress MLAs skip legislature session, 1 JDS man stays away too

BENGALURU: Despite whips issued by Congress to its legislators to be present on the first day of the budget session of Karnataka legislature, as many as seven MLAs skipped it.

Since last month, the number of disgruntled Congress MLAs has increased at least by three. AICC general secretary KC Venugopal may again talk to individual MLAs to save the government.

Seven Congress MLAs and one JDS MLA stayed away from the assembly prodding the BJP to disrupt Governor VR Vala’s speech, who exited after barely reading two of his 22-page speech. BJP demanded Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s resignation insisting that the government has lost its majority.


Kumaraswamy is scheduled to present the state budget on Friday and the JDSCongress regime is working out strategies for the smooth passage of appropriation bills. The JDS-Congress regime may even cut short the budget session to escape from everyday trouble from BJP. According to an analyst, the longer the assembly sits, more trouble is likely in store for the government.

K Sudhakar (Chikkaballapur), BC Patil (Hirekeruru) and JN Ganesh (Kampli) joined the dissidents Ramesh Jharkiholi (Gokak), Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani), B Nagendra (Ballari Rural) and Umesh Jadhav (Chincholi) in defying the party whip.

What rattled the JDS, however, was its MLA Narayana Gowda (KR Pet) not attending the session, though the party issued no whip.