Karnataka: Congress MLA Anand Singh resigns from Assembly

Congress legislator Anand Singh on Monday resigned from the Karnataka Assembly.

The Vijayanagar MLA said he submitted his resignation to Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar.

However, Kumar denied having received Singh's resignation letter.

Sources said as many as five MLAs may resign in the coming days, including Congress' Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumathalli, Pratap Gowda Patil and BC Patil.

Earlier this year, a scuffle had taken place between Singh and his party colleague JN Ganesh.

An MLA from Kampli, Ganesh had allegedly assaulted Singh on January 19 following a heated argument at a resort near Bengaluru.

Singh was later admitted to a hospital, while Ganesh was suspended on the directions of state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao.

Singh's resignation comes at a time when cracks are seeming to appear in the Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress coalition in the state. However, the two parties have repeatedly said there is no threat to the alliance and the government would complete its full term.

In the recently held Lok Sabha polls, Congress and the JD(S) failed to make a mark with BJP bagging 25 of the 28 seats along with an Independent backed by it leaving just one seat each to the coalition partners.

Earlier this month, Congress leader K.H. Muniyappa had said his party will contest alone in the local body elections next year.

The statement had come days after JD(S) president H.D. Deve Gowda lashed out the "Congress' behaviour" while claiming that mid-term elections would "no doubt" be held in the state.

"There is no doubt that there will be mid-term polls. They (Congress) said they will support us for five years but look at their behaviour now. Our people are smart," he had said.

However, the former prime minister later downplayed his comments, saying his remark was about the local body elections and not for the Assembly polls.