Lesson for MLAs who wanted to join other political party, says Siddaramaiah welcoming SC decision

After the Supreme Court allowed 17 disqualified Karnataka MLAs to contest by-polls, senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Wednesday welcomed the judgement saying that there was no need of further appeal.

"I welcome the whole judgment, even that of Supreme Court allowing them (17 disqualified MLAs) to contest by-elections. It is a lesson for the MLAs who wanted to join any other political party on whims and fancies or coercion by other parties," Siddaramaiah said.

Stating that there is no need to file a review petition in the case, he said: "Mostly we will not go for the review. It is my personal opinion that there is no need to go for further appeal."

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the decision of the then Karnataka speaker K R Ramesh Kumar to disqualify 17 rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs under the anti-defection law and said that they can contest the upcoming by-elections in the state.

The elections for 15 out of 17 seats are slated to be held on December 5. The poll body had withheld the elections for two seats -- Maski and Rajarajeshwari -- as the petitions against these Assembly constituencies are pending in the Karnataka High Court.

The rebel legislators were disqualified by Kumar in July under the anti-defection law after they tendered their resignation.

They were also barred from contesting polls for the duration of the current assembly, which is slated to end in 2023.

The move had led to fall of the Congress-JD (S) coalition government, paving way for BJP to stake claim to form a new government in the state.