A look at how the latest political crisis in Karnataka unfolded.
July 1
Congress MLA for Vijayanagar B.S. Anand Singh submits resignation letter to Speaker K.R. Ramesh’s office and meets Governor Vajubhai R. Vala.
Rebel Congress leader Ramesh Jarkiholi faxes his resignation letter to the Speaker.
July 6
Twelve MLAs from the coalition — nine of Congress and three of JD(S) — submit their resignation letters to the office. Minister D.K. Shivakumar attempts a last-minute negotiation without success
Eight of them meet Governor and submit their resignation letters, and seek police protection. BJP leader C.P. Yogeshwar spotted at the Raj Bhavan with them
Ten of the rebel MLAs (except Ramalinga Reddy and Munirathna) reach a Mumbai hotel in a chartered flight from Bengaluru. Santosh, BJP State president B.S. Yeddyurappa’s personal assistant, spotted with them.
Karnataka : Bengaluru : Congress Legislators party meeting at Vidhana Soudha lead by Siddaramiah, State incharge K C Venugopal, party president Dinsh Gundurao and G Parameshwar on 09 July 2019. Photo : V Sreenivasa Murthy
July 7
Mr. Yeddyurappa claims BJP is ‘in no way related to the crisis’ and has no role to play in it, even as Congress and JD(S) allege BJP engineering defections to destabilise the government.
Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who was away on a trip to the U.S., returns to Bengaluru. Minutes later 10 rebel MLAs holed up in Mumbai hold an emergency press conference to reiterate there is no question of taking back their resignations.
CM holds parleys with Congress and JD(S) leaders.
July 8
All Congress and JD(S) Ministers tender their resignation letters to their respective party leaders to give the Chief Minister a free hand to reshuffle the Cabinet in a bid to accommodate rebels to save the government.
AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal and Siddaramaiah appeal to rebel MLAs to come back and promise to address their problems.
Independent MLAs H. Nagesh and R. Shankar, who were made Ministers on June 14 to quell rebellion, meet the Governor and resign as Ministers. Mr. Nagesh also announces support to BJP. Both Independent MLAs join the rebel MLAs in Mumbai.
Sowmya Reddy, Jayanagar MLA and daughter of Mr. Ramalinga Reddy, also rumoured to resign, meets Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. Congress opens negotiations with Mr. Ramalinga Reddy.
BJP holds its first legislature party meeting since the crisis broke out. Mr. Yeddyurappa claims the coalition government has lost majority and demands that Chief Minister must resign.
All JD(S) MLAs shifted to a resort in Devanahalli.
July 9
Congress holds legislature party meeting. Twenty of the 79 MLAs do not attend the meeting. Of the 20, seven had obtained permission, one abstained without any explanation, and one was suspended by the party. Remaining 11 are those who had resigned as MLAs.
Congress petitions the Speaker seeking disqualification of nine Congress MLAs for defection under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. Congress excludes the name of Mr. Ramalinga Reddy from the petition.
R. Roshan Baig, suspended Congress MLA, meets the Speaker and tenders his resignation.
Speaker says of the 13 resignations, only five are in order. He asks five MLAs, whose letters were in order, to appear before him in two batches.
Ten rebel MLAs write to Mumbai Police Commissioner seeking protection from Mr. Shivakumar and Mr. Kumaraswamy.
July 10
Mr. Shivakumar camps for seven hours outside the Mumbai hotel where the rebel MLAs are holed up. Mumbai police deny him entry, take him into preventive custody and forcibly send him back to Bengaluru.
Two Congress MLAs — N. Nagaraju, also a minister, and K. Sudhakar — tender their resignations as MLAs. The total number of resignations touches 16.
The corridors of the Vidhana Soudha witness unruly scenes as Congress leaders take away Dr. Sudhakar into Minister K.J. George’s chamber to woo him back. BJP launchs a protest, alleging “strong-arm tactics” by Congress. Mr. Yeddyurappa alleges Congress has abducted the MLA and appeals to the Governor to intervene. Mr. Vala directs Police Commissioner Alok Kumar to bring Dr. Sudhakar to the Raj Bhavan by providing him security.
JD(S) petitions the Speaker seeking disqualification of three rebel MLAs.
July 11
Mr. Kumaraswamy chairs Cabinet meeting and rules out tendering resignation.
BENGALURU - KARNATAKA - 12/07/2019 : Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, during the monsoon session of Karnataka Legislative Assembly, at Vidhana Soudha, in Bengaluru July 12, 2019. Photo: K Murali Kumar / THE HINDU
Supreme Court hears a petition filed by 10 rebel MLAs and directs them to appear before the Speaker the same day by 6 p.m. The SC directs the Speaker to take a decision on the resignations “forthwith” and adjourns the case till July 12.
The Speaker appeals before the SC, arguing he cannot be directed to take a decision immediately as disqualification petitions against the same MLAs were pending. The court clarifies there is no direction to the Speaker to take a decision on the same day.
All rebel MLAs fly back to Bengaluru just in time for the deadline. They meet the Speaker and re-tender their resignations. They leave for Mumbai again.
The Speaker says he cannot decide on these resignations immediately since he has to verify if the resignations are ‘genuine and voluntary’.
Congress and JD(S) issues whips to their respective legislators asking them to attend the legislature session.
July 12
Supreme Court adjourns the case till July 16 and stays any action by the Speaker, on both resignations and disqualification.
In a surprise move, Mr. Kumaraswamy announces he will seek a trust vote on the floor of the House.
All three political parties shift their legislators to resorts.
July 13
Congress continues its efforts to woo back rebel MLAs, even as BJP leaders meet Mr. Ramalinga Reddy.
Five more MLAs move the SC, say they have been threatened to support the Kumaraswamy government in the floor test.
July 14
Delegation of senior Congress leaders and Mr. Kumaraswamy meet Mr. Ramalinga Reddy at his farmhouse to convince him to stay back
July 15
Speaker adjourns the House to July 18 as SC had ordered for status quo on resignations and disqualification petitions of rebel MLAs.
Mr. Baig detained at KIA by SIT probing the IMA scam as he was boarding special flight.
July 16
SC reserves order on writ petition filed by 15 rebel MLAs
Mr. Baig released by SIT; moves High Court questioning his detention
July 18
CM moves confidence motion. CLP leader Siddaramaiah argues SC order has infringed on their right to issue whip, seeks trust vote to be deferred till there is clarity.
Congress alleges their MLA Shrimanth Patil was abducted from the resort.
Governor sends a message to Speaker "desiring" the trust vote be completed by end of the day. Later, he writes to CM directing him to prove majority by 1:30 p.m. on July 19.
House is adjourned withour floor test, BJP legislators sleep in the Assembly in protest
July 19
CM questions Governor setting a deadline. Governor writes second letter to prove majority by the end of the day.
Assembly adjourned to Monday amidst din. CM and CLP leader assure the House that the motion will be put to vote on July 22.
July 20
Congress moves SC seeking clarity on legality of whip
July 22
Two independent MLAs move SC seeking directions to the government to hold the floor test by the end of the day. SC posts it to Tuesday.
Assembly adjourns close to midnight amidst protests by BJP on "delay tactics"
July 23
After a debate that lasted till evening, Chief Minister loses trust vote by 6 votes.
Published - July 14, 2019 01:58 am IST
