KPJP blocks Shankar, ‘to decide on trust vote’

The Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) has told Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar that its legislator R Shankar, who is in the rebels camp, is barred from taking his own decision on voting during the upcoming confidence motion.

Shankar, who represents the Ranebennur constituency, had decided to merge the KPJP with the Congress without consulting the party. “We have urged the Speaker not to accept his letter seeking merging the party with the Congress,” KPJP founder president Mahesh Gowda told reporters.

“The party is yet to decide on merging with the Congress,” he clarified.

The KPJP, in its executive committee meeting, has decided that Shankar will not announce any support or oppose the confidence motion in the Assembly without prior written permission from the party. “The executive committee of the party is evaluating the political situation and is duty-bound to protect the wishes and confidence of the voters of the party, ought to be truly represented in the Assembly through Shankar,” Gowda has stated in a letter to the Speaker.

The party is scheduled to hold another executive committee meeting on Wednesday to “finally decide” whether the party is going to support Kumaraswamy or oppose him during the confidence motion that will be taken up on July 18.