By IANS,
Bangalore : A confident Karnataka Chief Minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa, will take the floor test afresh Thursday in the state assembly amid tight security even as the opposition Congress decided to boycott the session.
The result of the trust vote is subject to the Karnataka high court judgment in the disqualification case of the 16 rebel legislators by Speaker K.G. Bopaiah.
With the strength of the 225-member house that includes one nominated reduced to 208 and 105 as the halfway mark to win the trust vote, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ensured the presence of all its 105 lawmakers.
The Congress with 73 members Thursday morning decided to boycott the one-day special session, terming it unconstitutional. It informed the speaker of the decision taken at its legislative party meeting through a letter.
The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), which also threatened to boycott the session, is holding hectic consultations with its 28 legislators and the rebels whether to attend or not.
With the lone independent Varthur Prakash jumping to the ruling party Wednesday to vote in favour of the motion, the first 29-month-old BJP government in the southern state is upbeat that it would be able to win the motion by securing at least 106 votes.
Meanwhile, the speaker has barred the entry of the 16 disqualified legislators — 11 of the BJP and five independents — into the state secretariat where the assembly is located, as the high court Wednesday rejected the latter’s interim petition for exercising their vote.
In the wake of chaotic scenes and confusion Monday when the first trust-vote was passed by voice vote, tight security arrangements have been made inside and around the premises to prevent repeat of the chaos that day.