Karnataka: Congress petitions Assembly Speaker to disqualify 10 rebel MLAs under anti-defection law

This decision was made after the CLP meeting was held at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, CLP leader Siddaramaiah said that the meeting has decided to petition before the Speaker to disqualify the 10 party legislators under 10th Schedule of the Constitution.

"Speaker is the supreme power. That is why we are making this petition requesting him to Act as per Constitution," he said.

The 10 rebel MLAs, who are currently in Mumbai, did not attend the CLP meeting despite party had issued a whip. A few others including Raje Gowda, Khaneej Fathima, Tukaram, B Nagendra, Ramappa, MTB Nagaraj, D Sudhakar also did not attend the meeting but had taken prior permission from the CLP leader and the party.

If the Speaker decides to invoke the provisions of the law, the 10 legislators would be barred from contesting elections for six years and from holding any other office under the law.

The 13-month JDS-Congress coalition government in Karnataka has plunged into a major crisis after 13 rebel MLAs that included 10 from Congress and 3 from JDS had tendered resignation to their MLA posts. The crisis faced by the government compounded when two Independent MLAs who were recently made ministers, also withdrew their support to the government virtually pushing it to minority status.