Karnataka   

JD (S) abstains from voting

S. Rajendran and Nagesh Prabhu

BANGALORE: Karnataka in a way stood out in the presidential election on Thursday with only two-thirds of the members of the State Legislative Assembly casting their votes and the remaining forming part of the Janata Dal (Secular) abstaining from voting to exhibit that the party maintained equidistance from both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In all, 165 of the 224 members in the Legislative Assembly cast their votes — 85 stated to be to the benefit of the Congress, inclusive of several legislators forming part of minor political parties and independents, and 79 reportedly in favour of the BJP.

Speaker Krishna was the last to vote while the first was former Minister Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli. Given the nature of the recent statements of some of the Janata Dal (S) Ministers and the stand taken by the party to abstain from voting, another round of political realignment in the State cannot be ruled out.

Rumours were rife through out the day that the BJP, unhappy with the stance of its coalition partner, had decided to withdraw support to the Kumaraswamy Government.

These reports were quickly spiked by the top BJP leaders.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

JD (S) abstains from voting
Sajith denies bribing Chennithala
Auto drivers told to install meters
Encroachments removed in Malayandahalli tank
Puducherry-Bangalore highway inconveniences road users
Three killed in accident
Uncleared garbage, choked drains a common sight here
SBI to adopt girl children
Banks accused of using unfair tactics
Anganwadi workers stage protest
Bandh call by ‘naxalites’ evokes partial response
Safety is no longer a priority in many schools
Defiant BJP MLAs will be sacked: Yediyurappa

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu