The ten rebel Karnataka lawmakers, with heavy police protection, reached the state assembly to meet the Speaker and confirm their resignations. The resignations will leave the ruling Congress-JDS coalition in minority.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered the lawmakers to meet Speaker Ramesh Kumar at 6pm. The speaker will be conveying his decision to the top court today.
The rebel lawmakers had gone to the court alleging the Speaker had not accepted their resignation letters in order to help save the Karnataka government and give its negotiators time to regain numbers.
The speaker also said there was no need for the lawmakers to involve the court. "They could have willingly come here. That itself shows the whole thing is murky".
The Speaker claims he was not in office when the resignation letters came in on Saturday. After examining them on Tuesday, Mr Kumar rejected eight, asking the lawmakers to meet him on July 17.
Here are the highlights on the Karnataka crisis:
Ten rebel Karnataka lawmakers, heavily protected by policemen, briskly walked to the Speaker's chamber in the state assembly Vidhana Souda on Thursday holding blank papers and rewrote their resignation which, if accepted, will leave the ruling Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalition in a minority.
Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar, the Congres-JDS alliance's troubleshooter who went to Mumbai to convince the rebels to return to the alliance fold, has exuded confidence that the lawmakers would not quit the party from which they had been elected to the legislature.
Ten rebel Karnataka lawmakers, heavily protected by policemen, briskly walked to the Speaker's chamber in the state assembly Vidhana Souda to confirm their resignation, which, if accepted, will leave the ruling Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalition in a minority.
Karnataka Political Crisis: Amid a leadership vacuum in the Congress, its national media coordinator Rachit Seth on Thursday resigned from the post saying there was no meaning holding any post after Rahul Gandhi quit as President.
Ten rebel Karnataka lawmakers, heavily protected by policemen, walked into the state assembly to meet the Speaker and confirm their resignation, which, if accepted, will leave the ruling Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalition in a minority.
"PWD Minister HD Revanna has directed the additional chief secretary to PWD Sri Krishna Reddy to promote about 800 engineer officers in PWD, Irrigation, RDPR department and issue posting to their choice especially those belong to Gowda community by descending and accepting huge and large amount bribes involving about 50 crores in one day," the letter read, reported news agency ANI.
Calling Mr Revanna a de-facto Chief Minister, the BJP said that he was issuing "illegal promotions" and transfers for all departments, demanding crores of bribes.
The rebel Karnataka lawmakers, who are staying at a Mumbai hotel, said they would meet the state assembly speaker on Thursday, as directed by the Supreme Court, but would not withdraw their resignations.
The rebel MLAs have been directed by the Supreme Court to meet Karnataka assembly speaker at 6 pm today & resubmit their resignations.
The legislators boarded a special flight to the Karnataka capital at 2.50 pm, the sources said.
The development came after the Supreme Court allowed the rebel MLAs of the Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka to meet the Speaker at 6 pm to convey to him their decision to resign.