Siddaramaiah calls emergency CLP meet after 2 MLAs quit Assembly

Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah called an emergency meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) at his residence on Monday after two party MLAs resigned from the state Assembly.

Anand Singh and Ramesh Jarkiholi quit their membership of the Assembly earlier today.

However, Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar said he was not aware of any such resignation.

"Nobody has contacted or met me. I have got nothing to do with political developments and I will accept resignations even if 20 members resign. I am not aware of any such resignation. I have not met any leader, not even Anand Singh," Kumar told reporters in Kolar.

According to sources, a few more MLAs are likely to resign in the coming days, including Mahesh Kumathalli, Pratap Gowda Patil and BC Patil.

The resignations come at a time when cracks are seeming to appear in the Janata Dal (Secular)-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.

The coalition failed to act as a deterrent in the recently concluded general elections, where BJP bagged 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats along with an Independent backed by it leaving just one seat each to the coalition partners.