JD(S) on hunt yet again

With no relief from court to disqualified rebels, HDK casting net one more time

The H D Kumaraswamy-led party had masterminded the rebellion in the BJP, besides ensuring that rebels do not change their minds.

He had given jitters to the ruling party, forcing it to disqualify 16 rebels.

This time, ahead of the second trust vote, the JD(S) has a tough time to defeat the ruling party, as the court has refused to stay the Speaker’s decision to disqualify the rebels, including five independents.

Presently, total strength of the combined Opposition is 101 (Congress -- 73, JD(S) 27 and an Independent. The ruling party has 105 members (excluding the Speaker).

According to sources, the party is in touch with at least five ruling party members, but none of them has shown any positive sign of joining the rebel camp. Besides, efforts are on to bring back the party MLA from Channapattana M C Ashwatha, who is ‘missing’ for the last one week.

He did not turn up to participate in the trust vote in the Assembly on Monday. It is said he had defected to help the BJP win the trust vote.

One more in net

Besides keeping the rebel flock together, Kumaraswamy had succeeded in poaching one more BJP MLA, Manappa Vajjal, and bring back S K Bellubbi to the rebellion camp last week to vote against Monday’s trust vote.

Kumaraswamy held close-door meetings with senior party leaders and legal experts on chalking out strategies for the second trust vote.

JD(S) MP Chaluvarayaswamy said the strength of the BJP will drop below 100 before the second trust vote on Thursday.

“We are confident of defeating the Government on the floor of Assembly on Thursday. We are making all efforts in that direction,” he stated.

Heli hop by Kumaraswamy

Kumaraswamy, who is working overtime to oust the BJP government which he terms “corrupt”, raised eyebrows, when he flew in a helicopter from a resort in Bidadi for his meeting with the Governor in Bangalore on Tuesday evening.

Soon after the Karnataka High Court adjourned its hearing on the disqualification case, Kumarawamy, accompanied by former minister P M Narendraswamy, rushed to the Raj Bhavan to meet Governor H R Bhardwaj.

The chopper landed at National College grounds in Basavanagudi.

The State’s politicians have been widely using helicopters and charter flights in the present political crisis. And Kumaraswamy is no exception.