Bengaluru, Oct. 10: The Karnataka Assembly Speaker, Mr K.G. Bopaiah’s ruling on the plea to disqualify 16 rebel BJP and independent MLAs, is likely to decide the future of the first BJP government in south India on Monday when the Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, moves a confidence motion in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
Mr Yeddyurappa is slated to move the confidence motion at 10 am and in all probability, his fate will be decided by noon. Both the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress and JD(S) are preparing for a do or die battle in the House which is likely to witness acrimonious exchanges and pandemonium in the course of the debate.
The big question: Can Mr Yeddyurappa succeed as he did when he moved a confidence motion in June, 2008, soon after the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the May, 2008 polls? He had also moved a confidence motion on November 17, 2007, but halfway through the debate, he rushed to Raj Bhavan and tendered his resignation after realising that the JD(S) — his coalition partner — would not support him.
Highly-placed sources in the BJP maintained that their strategy is to win the trust vote at any cost without thinking of the consequences that could follow. To achieve this, the party in all probability is likely to press for the disqualification of the dissident MLAs or at least for their suspension from the House so that they are not able to participate in the voting.
The Speaker, who heard both sides on Sunday evening, reserved his judgement