Seven Congress-JD(S) Alliance MLAs Leave Eagleton Resort, ‘Health Reasons’ Cited For Departure

Local Kannada news sources are reporting that seven MLAs belonging to the Congress-JD(S) combine have left the Eagleton resort where they were lodged to ensure that they do not support the BJP.

News9, which earlier yesterday (16 May) broke the news of Governor’s invite to the B S Yeddyurappa to take oath as the state’s 23rd Chief Minister (CM), has reported that a Congress MLA, Rajashekhar Patil, left the resort citing ‘health reasons’.

Another Congress MLA, Anand Singh, too remains out of the party’s reach.

The MLAs were earlier today taken to the Eagleton resort after Yeddyurappa took oath as the state’s CM at the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru. The BJP has been given 15 days by the state’s Governor, Vajubhai Vala, to prove its majority in the assembly.

In the hotly contested Karnataka elections, the BJP had secured 104 seats on its own making it the largest party in the state assembly. An independent MLA too has supported the BJP, taking its tally to 105. However, it falls seven short of the 112 majority it requires to form the government.

The Congress, placed second with 78 seats has supported JD(S) which bagged 38 seats to prop up a government in the state.

Talk of horse-trading, however, has been ripe ever since the results were declared on 15 May. Newly sworn-in CM Yeddyurappa, in the morning, expressed confidence about proving the majority after the ceremony. The BJP has also announced a farm loan waiver as the first major decision of the new government.