K'taka crisis: Ganesh Hukkeri issues whip to party MLAs, says absentees will be disqualified

Amid ongoing political turmoil in Karnataka, Chikkodi MLA and chief whip of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government Ganesh Hukkeri on Thursday issued a whip to party MLAs to attend the Assembly session to pass the finance bill on Friday.

He said that the Assembly will also discuss several other matters and absent MLAs will be disqualified under the 'anti-defection law'.

Anti-defection law, also known as the tenth schedule of the Constitution, was amended in 1985 to prevent political defections and stop legislators from switching sides.

The 13-month-old Congress-JDS government had on Saturday slumped into crisis following the resignation of 10 MLAs.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader and Karnataka Irrigation Minister D K Shivakumar, who is back in Bengaluru after a failed trip to Mumbai to meet and placate the rebel MLAs staying there, expressed his optimism that "good sense will prevail" and the dissidents will withdraw their resignations.

"I have confidence that they will have good sense and not leave party from which they have been elected," said Shivakumar at Vidhana Soudha.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy also reached the Vidhan Soudha and both leaders had a brief interaction.

The Supreme Court had this morning allowed the 10 rebel MLAs of the Congress and the JD(S) in Karnataka to appear before the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly KR Ramesh Kumar at 6 pm today to tender their resignations. The Speaker is required to decide on the resignations today itself.

The order was passed by a bench headed by the Chief Justice after the dissident MLAs had knocked the doors of the apex court challenging the delay by the Speaker of the State Assembly in accepting their resignations.

The Apex Court said they will be provided with police protection in Bengaluru.

"As per the provisions of Article 190, any legislator can tender their resignation, after which Speaker will have a right to have an enquiry and decide on that. The resignation should be voluntarily and genuine," said VS Ugrappa, Congress lawyer and party worker.

"Courts have no jurisdiction in regard to disqualification of a legislator that is why the Supreme Court made a request not an order. Ultimately it is the domain of Speaker to decide about their disqualification," he said.

The 225-member state Assembly includes one nominated MLA. The halfway mark is 113.