13 rebel Karnataka MLAs are now BJP candidates in bypolls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has given tickets for the December 5 bypolls to 13 of the 17 rebel Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs, whose resignations had toppled the HD Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka. Sixteen of them were welcomed into the BJP by chief minister BS Yeddiyurappa earlier in the day who termed them “future MLAs and ministers”. “It is because of the sacrifice of these 17 legislators and they quitting as MLAs, some even as ministers, I have been able to take oath as the Chief Minister,” Yediyurappa was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The 13 candidates for the bypolls are Ramesh Jarakiholi, Shivaram Hebbar, Mahesh Kumatalli, Srimanthagouda Patil, ST Somashekar, BC Patil, K Sudhakar, Bhairathi Basavaraj,Anand Singh, K Gopalaiah, MTB Nagaraj, KC Narayanagowda and H Vishwana. The BJP hasn’t announces candidates for the remaining two seats where bypolls will be held in December. Fifteen of the 17 constituencies represented by the legislators are going for by-elections. The bypolls to Maski and RR Nagar constituencies have been withheld as cases on the two seats are pending before the high court. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court had upheld the disqualification of 17 lawmakers but allowed them to contest bypolls. KR Ramesh Kumar, the then Karnataka assembly speaker, disqualified the 17 MLAs under the anti-defection law and barred them from contesting polls till 2023, when the term of the current assembly ends. After the disqualification of the MLAs in July the strength of the 225-member Karnataka assembly was reduced to 208. The BJP has the simple majority of 105 and also enjoys the support of Independent MLAs. The Congress-JD(S) alliance has 101 seats. The BJP needs to win six out of the 15 seats in the bypolls to keep its majority in the assembly. In July, the rebel MLAs had resigned and shifted to resorts in Mumbai. Their resignations reduced the Congress-JD(S) government to minority. Source: Hindustan Times