BJP follows Congress-JD(S)' lead and moves its MLAs to 5-star Bengaluru Hotel ahead of floor test, claim sources

Ahead of the all-important floor test in the Karnataka Assembly scheduled for 4 pm on Saturday, Republic TV has exclusively learnt that the BJP is also taking steps to ensure that its MLAs remain 'protected' from any overtures from the rival Congress-JD(S) camp.

The Karnataka BJP MLAs have been asked to stay together at a 5-star hotel in Bengaluru. As per sources, the Shangri La Hotel in Bengaluru is where the BJP's newly-elected legislators will be spending the night. They will only move out to go to the Karnataka Assembly for the floor test.

Since the Supreme Court ordered Yeddyurappa to prove his majority on the floor of the house a full two weeks before the original deadline set by the Karnataka Governor, sources from both BJP and Congress-JD(S) have claimed to be in touch with each other's MLAs.

The Congress was the first to herd its flock of MLAs at a hotel. The MLAs were shifted to the Eagleton Resort outside Bengaluru on Wednesday night and then on Thursday night, three buses carrying the Congress' and JD(S)' MLAs departed for Hyderabad after not being able to take a chartered airplane to their original intended destination, Kochi.

The MLAs arrived in Hyderabad on Friday morning, just as the Supreme Court began hearing the Congress-JD(S) petition against the Karnataka Governor inviting Yeddyurappa to take oath as chief minister.

They have since been joined by Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy and are set to depart for Bengaluru on Friday evening.

Sources told Republic TV that five Congress legislators and three JD(S) legislators are in New Delhi and have been in touch with the BJP, while Congress sources have claimed that their Karnataka leader DK Shivakumar is in touch with ten BJP MLAs.

Meanwhile, a controversy is swirling over the Karnataka Governor appointing a BJP MLA KG Bopaiah as pro tem Speaker of the Assembly over the Congress' eight-term-MLA RV Deshpande. The Congress has cited that the senior-most MLA in the Assembly should be appointed pro tem Speaker who will get to cast a tie-breaker vote in the floor test if one is required.