Karnataka tussle: JD(S), CPI hail SC order on floor test, say BJP can't prove majority

Hailing the Supreme Court order on floor test in Karnataka as "historic", JD(S) and CPI leaders today said the BJP would not have the numbers to prove its majority in the Assembly on Saturday.

JD(S) leader Danish Ali told reporters that B S Yeddyurappa, who was sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka yesterday, will be "voted out tomorrow itself"."We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court. It is a historic decision. Those people who were asking what was the need for the JD(S) and the Congress to knock the doors of the Supreme Court in the midnight, today they have been exposed that they went to demolish all the institutions," he said.

"The concerns of security of all MLAs should be taken care of. From day one we were confident that the BJP does not have majority. Majority is with us. Yedddyurappa is going to be voted out at 4 pm tomorrow itself," Ali said.

CPI leader D Raja told PTI, "Because of uproar in the country, the judiciary took a stand and set aside the governor's decision giving 15 day's time (to the BJP to prove majority). Let us see what happens tomorrow. BJP would not have the numbers to prove majority on the floor of the house." The Supreme Court today ordered a floor test in the Karnataka Assembly at 4 PM tomorrow, drastically slashing the 15-day window given by Governor Vajubhai Vala to BJP Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to prove majority.

The BJP, which emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats in Karnataka Assembly, was invited by the governor to form government despite the JD(S)-Congress combine staking claim by citing the support of 117 MLAs. The Congress won 78 seats and the JD(S) 37.

The majority mark in Karnataka Assembly is 112 seats. Elections were held for all but two of the 224 seats.

In a historic pre-dawn hearing, the top court had yesterday cleared the last-minute hurdle created by the Congress-JD(S) combine for the BJP's ambitious surge in southern India by paving the way for Yeddyurappa to be sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka.