K'taka: BJP MLAs arrive at Vidhana Soudha for debate on confidence motion

Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa and other party MLAs arrived on Tuesday at the Vidhana Soudha after the Assembly was adjourned on Monday without voting.

Speaking to ANI, BJP's Shobha Karandlaje claimed that people and MLAs are upset with the current government.

"They (Congress-JDS) don't have the numbers. They are a minority government. MLAs are in Mumbai. They don't want to come. Let's see what happens by this evening. Confident that this government will definitely go. This is not a people's government. People are upset, MLAs are upset," she said.

Resonating similar sentiments, BJP's J Shettar said that the Congress-JD(S) coalition government will "definitely be defeated" if trust vote happens today.

"It's the final day for this government. We believed yesterday was the last but because of the 'milapi kushti' between the ruling party and others, they postponed it for one day... We will see what happens and if the division of votes takes place, this government will definitely be defeated," Shettar said.

On Monday, after a heated debate which continued till midnight, the Karnataka assembly was adjourned till Tuesday without voting on the confidence motion moved by chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar has set 6 p.m. today as the deadline to complete the voting.

"By 6 pm tomorrow the floor test will be done," he said on Monday.

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah said, "Tomorrow we will finish the floor test after some of our members speak. By 4 pm tomorrow we will finish the discussion, by 6 pm we will finish the floor test."

The Congress-JDS government slumped into a minority earlier this month following the resignation of several dissident MLAs. Sixteen MLAs from the ruling coalition including thirteen Congress and three JD(S) MLAs have resigned.

The state Assembly has 225 members, including one nominated MLA. The halfway mark in the 225-member Assembly is 113.