(Image source from: The Financial Express)

Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy won the trust vote in the Assembly on Friday, thereby ending the 10-day political drama. He comfortably proved majority in floor test of the Legislative Assembly with 117 Members of Parliament voting in favor of Congress-JD(S) alliance.

The Bharatiya Janata Party members walked out of the Assembly in the protest against ‘unholy’ partnership between Congress and JD(S) and announcing a state-wide protest on May 28 if Kumaraswamy failed to waive off farmer’s loans.

“The confidence motion has been put to vote and won by voice vote in favour of Kumaraswamy,” Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar announced.

Congress MLA K.R. Ramesh Kumar elected unanimously as the speaker after BJP’s nominee S. Suresh Kumar withdrew his nomination following a direction from BJP leadership.

He tweeted saying, “After discussion in the party, it is felt that the Speaker has to be elected unanimously following the parliamentary traditions. I am withdrawing my nomination.”

Ramesh Kumar is a former speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly between 1994-1999 and in the previous government headed by Siddaramaiah, he was a Cabinet Minister.

This time in the elections, he defeated JD(S) candidate G.K. Venkatashivareddy by a margin of 10,552 votes from Srinivaspur constituency.

By Sowmya Sangam