BJP to issue whip for Yeddyurappa’s trial of strenght

BJP has decided to issue a whip to its MLAs to vote in favour of the confidence motion sought to be moved by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Friday.

Yeddyurappa is scheduled to move a confidence motion in the Legislative Assembly soon after Governor Rameshwar Thakur addresses the joint session of the state legislature.

BJP, which bagged 110 seats in the recently held Assembly elections, enjoys the support of six independents, taking its effective strength to 116 in the 224-member House. The Congress has 80 seats while the JD (S) has 28 seats.

In view of the slender majority commanded by the Yeddyurappa-led Government, the BJP will be issuing a whip to all its MLAs to vote in favour of the motion. “The BJP Legislature Party will meet and issue a whip not only to its MLAs, but also to the independents, who have now become associate members of the BJP”, a senior BJP leader said.

SPEAKER: Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former Minister Jagadish Shettar was yesterday elected the Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly yesterday.

Soon after the House met on Thursday, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa proposed the name of Shettar. Pro-tem speaker K G Bopaiah declared Shettar elected as the new speaker through voice vote.

Shettar was elected unopposed as the Opposition Congress and JD (S) did not field their candidates. Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition M Mallikarjun Kharge said the party did not field a candidate as it did not have sufficient numbers.

It may be mentioned here that Shettar had raised a banner of revolt after his exclusion from the B S Yeddyurappa-led Cabinet and firmly rejected accepting the post of speaker offered to him.

However, Shettar, who has not only served as the BJP’s state unit President and also as Leader of the Opposition, fell in line with the party’s decision and filed his nomination papers after the party’s national leadership summoned him to New Delhi and held negotiations with him.

Shettar denied that he had agreed to become the Speaker under compulsion from the party’s national leadership. “I have made by own decision as I have understood the importance of the post of speaker”, he said.