Rebel MLA hits back at Cong lauding EC's decision to defer bypolls

A day after the Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court that it might defer the bypolls in the 15 seats of the disqualified MLAs, and its subsequent lauding by the Karnataka Congress, a disqualified MLA has asked if Congress only belongs to those four criticising the disqualified MLAs. Naming the leaders, ST Somashekhar said, "Does Congress only belong to Dinesh Gundu Rao, Krishna Byre Gowda, Rizwan Arshad, and Siddaramaiah? "We left Congress because Gundu Rao is an incapable KPCC president. The coalition govt was not on the proper path. That's why we resigned&destabilized Kumaraswamy govt. Siddaramaiah & KR Ramesh Kumar were very happy to disqualify us," he added.

He then slammed Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao for speaking again and again against the disqualified MLAs. He also slammed former Congress CM Siddaramaiah: "Why could they not take any action against the person who is the reason for KH Muniyappa's, HD Deve Gowda's & Nikhil Kumarawamy's defeat? Is this Siddaramaiah's Congress or the original Congress which got 120 years of history."

Congress on EC's statement in the SC

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Dinesh Gundu Rao, on Thursday, has said that it was a victory for the Congress, in conversation with ANI. He stated that the Supreme Court is looking in great detail into the anti-defection law. He added that the true meaning of Speaker Ramesh Kumar's order of disqualifying all 17 rebel MLAs will be realised. He condemned the rebel MLAs for falling into BJP's trap.

READ: Congress hails EC's decision to defer Karnataka by-polls of 15 seats

EC tells SC it will defer by-polls

Earlier in the day, the Election Commission told the Supreme Court that it would defer the upcoming by-polls of 15 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, whose MLAs were disqualified earlier. The Supreme Court is currently hearing the plea by the rebel MLAs challenging the order of former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar disqualifying them from the House. The EC had opposed the plea of disqualified MLAs to stay the elections till the SC verdict on their petitioning challenging former speaker’s actions. Meanwhile, the apex court will continue to hear the case on October 22. Both rebel MLAs and Congress have stated that they have no objections to the deferring of polls.

READ: Karnataka: EC opposes disqualified MLAs plea in Supreme Court

Karnataka Assembly and the by-polls

The halfway mark in Karnataka assembly is 112 and in a truncated assembly, BJP had won the trust vote comfortably as the magic number was 105.BJP legislators, with the support of an independent MLA, had sailed smoothly. In the upcoming by-polls, BJP will have to win at least 8 of the 15 seats to retain their government in the state. The opposition parties, Congress and JDS, which had formed the previous government together have decided to fight the by-elections separately, without a pre-poll alliance with each other. With the wafer-thin majority of the current BJP government, all eyes are set on the SC's verdict and EC's decision. 

READ: Karnataka govt will collapse any time, predicts former CM Kumaraswamy