JD(S) expels three rebel MLAs for anti-party activities

The Janata Dal (Secular) expelled three rebel MLAs from the party for indulging in anti-party activities, days after the Congress-JD(S) government collapsed after losing the confidence motion.

The three MLAs who have been expelled from the party are Gopalaiah, H Vishwanath and Narayana Gowda.

The action by the party comes after the three MLAs were disqualified from Vidhan Soudha by then-Speaker Ramesh Kumar.

Earlier this month, the rebel MLAs had pulled out from the Congress-JD(S) coalition, plunging the coalition government into a minority in the 225-member Assembly, which led to a political crisis in the state.

After days of high-drama and heated debates, the government fell last week as it lost the trust vote in the House. Following the defeat, HD Kumaraswamy submitted his resignation to Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj Bhavan, along with his cabinet ministers.

The defeat marked the end of an uneasy coalition that was formed after the assembly polls on May 23, 2018, which returned a hung verdict after three main parties in the state -- Congress, BJP and the JD(S) contested against each other in the polls.

Later, BJP formed the government under the leadership of BS Yediyurappa who took oath as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka.