Karnataka Deputy Speaker quits ahead of no-confidence move by BJP

Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly M Krishna Reddy, elected to the House on a JD(S) ticket in the 2018 elections, quit from the post on Tuesday ahead of a no-confidence motion sought to be moved by the ruling BJP.

Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri informed the House that he has accepted the resignation of Reddy, who won from Chintamani constituency. Noting that tabling of motion under rule 169 seeking removal of the Deputy Speaker was in the agenda for the day, he said he was withdrawing it. "...Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly M Krishna Reddy has submitted his resignation today, I have accepted it. So I'm dropping moving of the motion from the agenda," Kageri announced in the assembly.

Kittur MLA Doddagoudar Mahantesh Basavantaray and others were scheduled to move the motion which read "Deputy Speaker has lost the confidence of the House" and it was part of Tuesday's list of business.

According to reports, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had recently indicated to Reddy that he might have to step down as Deputy Speaker as he was elected to the post during the previous dispensation.

He was elected as the Deputy Speaker on July 6, 2018, during the tenure of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy.

The coalition government had collapsed in July last year due to internal differences and paved way for BJP to come to power under the leadership of Yediyurappa. Savadatti BJP MLA Anand Mamani had recently expressed desire for the Deputy Speaker post.