Karnataka cabinet to be restructured, CM says govt will run smoothly

The current political crisis in the state will be resolved and the government will run smoothly, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said on Monday as his coalition with the Congress appeared to be on thin ice.

"The issue will be resolved, don't worry. This government will run smoothly in the state," Kumaraswamy told reporters.

Stressing that he does not have any kind of anxiety about the present political development, the JD(S) leader said, "I don't want to discuss anything about politics."

The Chief Minister's statement comes after 21 state minister of the Congress stepped down from their positions. Similarly, all JD(S) ministers have also resigned, paving way for the restructuring of the cabinet, the Chief Minister's Office said.

Earlier today, independent legislator H Nagesh withdrew support from the government and resigned as a minister

The 13-month-old coalition government in the state slumped into crisis following the resignation of their 11 MLAs from the membership of the state Assembly on June 6.

JD(S) MLA H Vishwanath had claimed that 14 MLAs have jointly tendered their resignations to Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar and requested him to accept them. However, the Speaker is yet to accept the resignations.

The strength of the ruling coalition in Karnataka has come down to 105, which is eight short of the half-way mark of 113.