Karnataka’s disqualified MLAs pin hopes on Supreme Court

Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa and a worried team of disqualified MLAs are pinning hopes on the Supreme Court, which will take up on Monday the latter’s petition challenging the former Speaker’s actions.

The Election Commission’s announcement on Saturday notifying bypolls for 15 assembly seats in Karnataka came as a bolt from the blue for both the BJP and 17 former MLAs whose assembly memberships were disqualified by the previous Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on charges of defection. Fourteen of them were from Congress and three from JDS. The camp of disqualified MLAs has yet to openly identify itself with the BJP. It was their rebellion against the JDS-Congress coalition which led to the collapse of the HD Kumaraswamy regime in July. The EC has not announced polls for two seats – RR Nagar in Bengaluru City and Maski in Raichur district – as the election in these two seats has been challenged before courts.