2019 Karnataka political crisis: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Political crisis in Indian state of Karnataka}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
In July 2019, several government [[Members of the Legislative Assembly|members]] of the [[Karnataka Legislative Assembly]] in [[India]] submitted their resignations to the speaker, which led to the fall of the then [[United Progressive Alliance]] [[Second H. D. Kumaraswamy ministry|government]] in Karnataka.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/story/20190715-karnataka-rebel-rousing-in-the-congress-1562059-2019-07-05|title=Rebel-rousing in the Congress|last=Gowda|first=Aravind|date=5 July 2019|work=India Today|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="july-1-resignation">{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/karnataka-crisis-congress-steps-up-efforts-to-persuade-mla-to-withdraw-resignation-from-assembly/articleshow/70216118.cms|title=Karnataka crisis: Congress steps up efforts to persuade MLA to withdraw resignation from assembly|date=14 July 2019|work=Times of India|access-date=15 July 2019|agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref>
The '''2019 Karnataka political crisis''' was a period of [[political instability]] when [[members of the legislative assembly]] in the Indian State of [[Karnataka]] submitted their resignations, which led to the fall of the [[Indian National Congress|Congress]]-[[Janata Dal (Secular)|JD(S)]] coalition [[Second H. D. Kumaraswamy ministry|government]] in the state.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/story/20190715-karnataka-rebel-rousing-in-the-congress-1562059-2019-07-05|title=Rebel-rousing in the Congress|last=Gowda|first=Aravind|date=5 July 2019|work=India Today|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="july-1-resignation">{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/karnataka-crisis-congress-steps-up-efforts-to-persuade-mla-to-withdraw-resignation-from-assembly/articleshow/70216118.cms|title=Karnataka crisis: Congress steps up efforts to persuade MLA to withdraw resignation from assembly|date=14 July 2019|work=Times of India|access-date=15 July 2019|agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref>


{{Infobox event|date=July 2019|place=[[Karnataka]], [[India]]|type=Parliamentary crisis|cause=Resignation of 17 government MLAs|outcome=* Fall of [[H.D. Kumaraswamy]] government <br/>  
{{Infobox event|date=July 2019|place=[[Karnataka]], India|type=Parliamentary crisis|cause=Resignation of 17 legislators|outcome=* Fall of [[H. D. Kumaraswamy]] government <br/>  
* [[B. S. Yediyurappa]] sworn in as new [[Chief Minister of Karnataka|Chief Minister]]|participants=* [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] <br/>
* [[B. S. Yediyurappa]] sworn in as new [[Chief Minister of Karnataka|Chief Minister]]|participants=* [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
* [[Indian National Congress]] <br/>
* [[Indian National Congress]]
* [[Janata Dal (Secular)]]}}
* [[Janata Dal (Secular)]]}}


==Background==
==Background==
In the [[2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election|2018 elections]] to the [[Karnataka Legislative Assembly]], the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]] won the most seats—104,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/who-should-get-first-call-to-form-govt-in-karnataka-jurys-out/articleshow/64182765.cms|title=Who should get first call to form govt in Karnataka? Jury's out|date=16 May 2018|work=Times of India|agency=TNN (Times News Network)}}</ref> but the [[Indian National Congress|Congress Party]] (INC) and [[Janata Dal (Secular)]] formed a coalition government with 120 out of 224 seats.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/elections/karnataka-2018/from-results-to-resort-politics-how-karnataka-formed-its-government/article23960753.ece|title=From results to resort politics: how Karnataka formed its government|date=May 2018|work=The Hindu|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref> In the [[2019 Indian general election|2019 general election]], the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|BJP-led NDA]] won 26 out of 28 seats in [[Karnataka]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/karnataka-election-results-live-updates-highlights/article27210206.ece|title=As it happened {{!}} Karnataka Lok Sabha results 2019: highlights|date=23 May 2019|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-07-15|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> while the [[United Progressive Alliance|INC-led UPA]] won two.
In the [[2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election|2018 elections]] to the [[Karnataka Legislative Assembly]], the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) won the most seats, 104,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/who-should-get-first-call-to-form-govt-in-karnataka-jurys-out/articleshow/64182765.cms|title=Who should get first call to form govt in Karnataka? Jury's out|date=16 May 2018|work=Times of India|agency=TNN (Times News Network)}}</ref> but the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) and [[Janata Dal (Secular)]] (JD(S)) formed a coalition government with 120 out of 224 seats.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/elections/karnataka-2018/from-results-to-resort-politics-how-karnataka-formed-its-government/article23960753.ece|title=From results to resort politics: how Karnataka formed its government|date=May 2018|work=The Hindu|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref> In the [[2019 Indian general election in Karnataka|2019 general election]], the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|BJP-led NDA]] won 25 out of 28 seats in [[Karnataka]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/karnataka-election-results-live-updates-highlights/article27210206.ece|title=As it happened {{!}} Karnataka Lok Sabha results 2019: highlights|date=23 May 2019|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-07-15|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> while the [[United Progressive Alliance|INC-led UPA]] won two and the Independent Candidate won one.


==Resignations==
==Resignations==
On 1 July, two members, [[Ramesh Jarkiholi]] and [[Anand Singh (Karnataka politician)|Anand Singh]] of the [[Indian National Congress|INC]], submitted their resignations.<ref name="july-1-resignation" /> Over the next few days, 10 Congress and 3 JD(S) MLAs resigned.<ref name="outlook">{{Cite news|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-serious-threat-from-congress-leaders-no-intention-of-meeting-them-rebel-karnataka-mlas-tell-police/334209|title="Serious threat" From Congress Leaders, No Intention Of Meeting Them: Rebel Karnataka MLAs Tell Police|date=15 July 2019|work=Outlook India|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref>  
On 1 July, two members, [[Ramesh Jarkiholi]] and [[Anand Singh (Karnataka politician)|Anand Singh]] of the INC submitted their resignations.<ref name="july-1-resignation" /> Over the next few days, ten INC and three JD(S) legislators resigned.<ref name="outlook">{{Cite news|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-serious-threat-from-congress-leaders-no-intention-of-meeting-them-rebel-karnataka-mlas-tell-police/334209|title="Serious threat" From Congress Leaders, No Intention Of Meeting Them: Rebel Karnataka MLAs Tell Police|date=15 July 2019|work=Outlook India|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref>


The reaction of the coalition government was to attempt to convince the MLAs who had submitted their resignations to rescind them.<ref name="outlook" /> Many of the MLAs fled to [[Mumbai]], and directed the police not to permit Congress leaders to meet them.<ref name="outlook" /> The government also attempted to induce the MLAs to return by offering them cabinet posts; all 21 Congress ministers resigned on 8 July to ensure that a sufficient number of ministerial berths were available.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/all-21-karnataka-congress-ministers-resign-to-make-way-for-new-cabinet/article28318628.ece|title=All 21 Karnataka Congress Ministers resign to make way for new Cabinet|date=2019-07-08|work=The Hindu|access-date=15 July 2019|others=Special Correspondent|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> It also requested that the speaker should disqualify those who had resigned under anti-defection legislation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/karnataka-crisis-congress-seeks-disqualification-of-rebel-mlas-one-more-quits/articleshow/70144523.cms|title=Karnataka crisis: Congress seeks disqualification of rebel MLAs; one more quits|date=9 July 2019|work=Times of India|access-date=16 July 2019|agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref>
The reaction of the coalition government was to attempt to convince the legislators who had submitted their resignations to rescind them.<ref name="outlook" /> Many of the legislators fled to [[Mumbai]], and directed the police not to permit INC leaders to meet them.<ref name="outlook" /> The government also attempted to induce the legislators to return by offering them cabinet posts; all 21 INC ministers resigned on 8 July to ensure that a sufficient number of ministerial berths were available.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/all-21-karnataka-congress-ministers-resign-to-make-way-for-new-cabinet/article28318628.ece|title=All 21 Karnataka Congress Ministers resign to make way for new Cabinet|date=2019-07-08|work=The Hindu|access-date=15 July 2019|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> It also requested that the [[Speaker (politics)|speaker]] should disqualify those who had resigned under anti-defection legislation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/karnataka-crisis-congress-seeks-disqualification-of-rebel-mlas-one-more-quits/articleshow/70144523.cms|title=Karnataka crisis: Congress seeks disqualification of rebel MLAs; one more quits|date=9 July 2019|work=Times of India|access-date=16 July 2019|agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref>


The speaker, [[K. R. Ramesh Kumar|K.R. Ramesh Kumar]], did not immediately accept the resignations, on the grounds that he was constitutionally obliged to scrutinise them.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/karnataka-political-crisis-live-updates-july-11-2019/article28367385.ece|title=Karnataka political crisis updates: Need to ensure resignations are genuine and voluntary, says the Speaker|date=11 July 2019|work=The Hindu|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref> Consequently, some of those who had submitted their resignations approached the [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]], which on 12 July agreed to hear the case on 16 July, whilst ordering the speaker not to disqualify any lawmakers or take any other action in this connection.<ref name="business-standard">{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/sc-directs-status-quo-in-karnataka-mla-resigning-case-next-hearing-july-16-119071200788_1.html|title=SC directs status quo in Karnataka MLA resigning case, next hearing July 16|last=Aryan|first=Aashish|date=2019-07-12|work=Business Standard India|access-date=2019-07-15}}</ref>
The speaker, [[K. R. Ramesh Kumar]], did not immediately accept the resignations, on grounds that he was constitutionally obliged to scrutinize them.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/karnataka-political-crisis-live-updates-july-11-2019/article28367385.ece|title=Karnataka political crisis updates: Need to ensure resignations are genuine and voluntary, says the Speaker|date=11 July 2019|work=The Hindu|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref> Consequently, some of those who had submitted their resignations approached the [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]], which on 12 July agreed to hear the case on 16 July, whilst ordering the speaker not to disqualify any lawmakers or take any other action in this connection.<ref name="business-standard">{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/sc-directs-status-quo-in-karnataka-mla-resigning-case-next-hearing-july-16-119071200788_1.html|title=SC directs status quo in Karnataka MLA resigning case, next hearing July 16|last=Aryan|first=Aashish|date=2019-07-12|work=Business Standard India|access-date=2019-07-15}}</ref>


At the 16 July hearing, Mukul Rohatgi, counsel for the MLAs who had submitted their resignations, said that the speaker should be ordered to rule immediately on the resignations.<ref name="telegraph">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/speaker-should-decide-now-on-resignations-karnataka-mlas-tell-supreme-court/cid/1694585|title=Speaker should 'decide now' on resignations, Karnataka MLAs tell Supreme Court|date=16 July 2019|work=The Telegraph|access-date=16 July 2019|agency=Press Trust of India|location=Calcutta}}</ref> Rohatgi argued that disqualification was a "mini-trial", and so a decision on the resignations should take priority over one on disqualification.<ref name="telegraph" /> Rajeev Dhavan, who appeared for the [[Chief Minister of Karnataka]], argued that the MLAs never met the speaker, and so the speaker should rule on their disqualifications first.<ref name="et">{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/karnataka-crisis-live-news-updates-kumaraswamy-yeddyurappa-supreme-court/liveblog/70239740.cms|title=Karnataka crisis live: speaker says working as per Constitution, Supreme Court order tomorrow|date=16 July 2019|work=The Economic Times|access-date=16 July 2019}}</ref> [[Ranjan Gogoi]], the [[Chief Justice of India|Chief Justice]], said that the court would have to balance two competing claims: first, the excuse of resignation could not be used to circumvent anti-defection measures; but, second, claims of defection should not be used to prevent resignation.<ref name="et" /> He also said that the court would have to consider the extent to which it is permitted to issue directions to holders of other constitutional posts, such as that of the speaker of the assembly.<ref name="telegraph" />
At the 16 July hearing, [[Mukul Rohatgi]], counsel for the legislators who had submitted their resignations, said that the speaker should be ordered to rule immediately on the resignations.<ref name="telegraph">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/speaker-should-decide-now-on-resignations-karnataka-mlas-tell-supreme-court/cid/1694585|title=Speaker should 'decide now' on resignations, Karnataka MLAs tell Supreme Court|date=16 July 2019|work=The Telegraph|access-date=16 July 2019|agency=Press Trust of India|location=Calcutta}}</ref> Rohatgi argued that disqualification was a "mini-trial", and so a decision on the resignations should take priority over one on disqualification.<ref name="telegraph" /> [[Rajeev Dhavan]], who appeared for the [[Chief Minister of Karnataka]], argued that the legislators never met the speaker, and consequently the speaker should rule on their disqualifications first.<ref name="et">{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/karnataka-crisis-live-news-updates-kumaraswamy-yeddyurappa-supreme-court/liveblog/70239740.cms|title=Karnataka crisis live: speaker says working as per Constitution, Supreme Court order tomorrow|date=16 July 2019|work=The Economic Times|access-date=16 July 2019}}</ref> [[Ranjan Gogoi]], the [[Chief Justice of India|Chief Justice]], said that the court would have to balance two competing claims: first, the excuse of resignation could not be used to circumvent anti-defection measures; but, second, claims of defection should not be used to prevent resignation.<ref name="et" /> He also said that the court would have to consider the extent to which it is permitted to issue directions to holders of other constitutional posts, such as that of the speaker of the assembly.<ref name="telegraph" />


===Members responsible for the Crisis===
===Members responsible for the Crisis===
14 [[Indian National Congress|INC]] and 3 [[Janata Dal (Secular)|JD(S)]] MLAs were responsible for the political crisis. 1 [[Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party|KPJP]] MLA also left the coalition government. After some days, one of the legislator from [[Indian National Congress|INC]], [[Ramalinga Reddy]], withdrew his resignation.{{fact|date=January 2020}}
14 INC and 3 JD(S) legislators were responsible for the political crisis. One [[Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party]] legislator also left the coalition government. A few days later, INC legislator [[Ramalinga Reddy]] withdrew his resignation.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-07-19|title=Ramalinga Reddy withdraws resignation|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/ramalinga-reddy-withdraws-resignation/article28566448.ece|access-date=2021-07-30|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>


===List of members who took back resignation===
===List of members who took back resignation===
Line 34: Line 35:
|[[B.T.M Layout (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|BTM Layout]]
|[[B.T.M Layout (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|BTM Layout]]
|[[Ramalinga Reddy]]
|[[Ramalinga Reddy]]
| width="4px" style="background-color: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}}" |
| width="4px" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|[[Indian National Congress]]
|[[Indian National Congress]]
|}
|}


===List of Disqualified Members===
===List of disqualified legislators===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
Line 45: Line 46:
! Member
! Member
! colspan=2| Party
! colspan=2| Party
! colspan=2| [[2019 Karnataka Legislative Assembly by-elections|2019 by-election results]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Karnataka bypoll results Highlights: BJP wins 12 out of 15 seats; state Congress leaders quit posts|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/karnataka-bypoll-results-live-news-bjp-congress-jds-yediyurappa/liveblog/72431972.cms|access-date=2021-07-30|website=The Economic Times|language=en}}</ref>
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|1.  
|1.  
|[[Ranebennur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Ranebennur]]
|[[R. Shankar (politician)|R. Shankar]]
| width="4px" style="background-color: {{party color|Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party}}" |
|[[Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party]]
|''Did not contest''. Won by [[BJP]] candidate [[Arunkumar Guththur]]
| width="4px" style="background-color: {{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}" |
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|2.
|[[Shivajinagar, Karnataka Assembly constituency|Shivajinagar]]
|[[R. Roshan Baig]]
| rowspan="13" width="4px" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
| rowspan="13" |[[Indian National Congress]]
|''Did not contest''. Won by [[Indian National Congress|INC]] candidate [[Rizwan Arshad]]
| rowspan="2"  width="4px" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|3.
|[[Maski (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Maski]] (ST)
|[[Pratap Gowda Patil]]
|Lost to [[Indian National Congress|INC]] candidate [[Basanagouda Turvihal]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|4.
|[[Hosakote (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Hoskote]]
| [[M. T. B. Nagaraju]]
|Lost to [[Independent politician|Independent]] candidate [[Sharath Kumar Bachegowda]]
| width="4px" style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}" |
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|5.
|[[Kagwad (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Kagawad]]
|[[Kagwad (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Kagawad]]
|[[Shrimant Balasaheb Patil]]
|[[Shrimant Balasaheb Patil]]
| rowspan="13" width="4px" style="background-color: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}}" |
| rowspan="12" |Won back seat as [[BJP]] candidate
| rowspan="13"|[[Indian National Congress]]
| rowspan="12" width="4px" style="background-color: {{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}" |
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|2.  
|6.  
|[[Krishnarajapuram (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Krishnarajapuram]]
|[[Krishnarajapuram (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Krishnarajapuram]]
|[[Byrati Basavaraj]]
|[[Byrati Basavaraj]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|3.  
|7.  
|[[Rajarajeshwarinagar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Rajarajeshwari Nagar]]
|[[Rajarajeshwarinagar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Rajarajeshwari Nagar]]
|[[Munirathna]]
|[[Munirathna]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|4.  
|8.  
|[[Yeshvanthapura (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Yeshvanthapura]]   
|[[Yeshvanthapura (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Yeshvanthapura]]   
|[[S. T. Somashekhar]]
|[[S. T. Somashekhar]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|5.  
|9.  
|[[Gokak (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Gokak]]
|[[Gokak (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Gokak]]
|[[Ramesh Jarkiholi]]
|[[Ramesh Jarkiholi]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|6.  
|10.  
|[[Shivajinagar (Vidhana Sabha constituency)|Shivajinagar]]
|[[Vijayanagara Assembly constituency|Vijayanagara]]  
|[[R. Roshan Baig]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|7.
|[[Vijay Nagar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Vijayanagara]]  
|[[Anand Singh (Karnataka politician)|Anand Singh]]
|[[Anand Singh (Karnataka politician)|Anand Singh]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|8.
|11.  
|[[Hosakote (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Hoskote]]
| [[M. T. B. Nagaraju]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|9.  
|[[Hirekerur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Hirekerur]]
|[[Hirekerur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Hirekerur]]
|[[B. C. Patil]]
|[[B. C. Patil]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|10.  
|12.  
|[[Athani (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Athani]]
|[[Athani (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Athani]]
|[[Mahesh Kumathalli]]
|[[Mahesh Kumathalli]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|- style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|11.
|13.  
|[[Athani (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Maski]] (ST)
|[[Pratap Gowda Patil]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|12.  
|[[Chikkaballapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Chikkaballapur]]
|[[Chikkaballapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Chikkaballapur]]
| Dr. [[K. Sudhakar (politician)|K. Sudhakar]]
| Dr. [[K. Sudhakar (politician)|K. Sudhakar]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|- style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|13.  
|14.  
|[[Yellapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Yellapur]]
|[[Yellapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Yellapur]]
|[[Arbail Shivaram Hebbar]]
|[[Arbail Shivaram Hebbar]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|- style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|14.  
|15.  
|[[Mahalakshmi Layout (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Mahalakshmi Layout]]
|[[Mahalakshmi Layout (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Mahalakshmi Layout]]
|[[K. Gopalaiah]]
|[[K. Gopalaiah]]
| rowspan="3" width="4px" style="background-color: {{Janata Dal (Secular)/meta/color}}" |
| rowspan="3" width="4px" style="background-color: {{party color|Janata Dal (Secular)}}" |
| rowspan="3"|[[Janata Dal (Secular)]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Janata Dal (Secular)]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|- style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|15.  
|16.  
|[[Krishnarajpete (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Krishnarajpet]]
|[[Krishnarajpete (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Krishnarajpet]]
|[[Narayana Gowda]]
|[[Narayana Gowda]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|- style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|16.  
|17.  
|[[Hunasuru (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Hunsur]]
|[[Hunasuru (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Hunsur]]
|[[Adagur H. Vishwanath]]
|[[Adagur H. Vishwanath]]
|-style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|Lost to [[Indian National Congress|INC]] candidate [[H. P. Manjunath]]
|17.
| width="4px" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|[[Ranebennur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Ranebennur]]
|- style="text-align:center; height:30px;"
|[[R. Shankar (politician)|R. Shankar]]
 
| rowspan="3" width="4px" style="background-color: {{Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party/meta/color}}" |
|-
|[[Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party]]
|}
|}


==Reaction and conclusion==
==Reaction and conclusion==
The INC  members in the [[Rajya Sabha]] forced adjournments twice in protest,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Das|first=Shaswati|url=https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/karnataka-crisis-disrupts-rajya-sabha-proceedings-1562655152513.html|title=Rajya Sabha adjourned twice over Karnataka crisis|date=9 July 2019|work=Livemint|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref> alleging bribery on the part of the BJP.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bjp-buying-mlas-in-karnataka-surjewala/articleshow/70107159.cms|title=BJP 'buying' MLAs in Karnataka|date=6 July 2019|work=Times of India|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref> The BJP demanded that the government should resign.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/karnataka-political-crisis-bjp-demands-kumaraswamy-s-resignation-1564352-2019-07-08|title=Karnataka crisis: 21 Congress ministers resign; BJP wants Kumaraswamy to step down|date=8 July 2019|work=India Today|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref>


Congress members in the [[Rajya Sabha]] forced adjournments twice in protest,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Das|first=Shaswati|url=https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/karnataka-crisis-disrupts-rajya-sabha-proceedings-1562655152513.html|title=Rajya Sabha adjourned twice over Karnataka crisis|date=9 July 2019|work=Livemint|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref> alleging bribery on the part of the BJP.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bjp-buying-mlas-in-karnataka-surjewala/articleshow/70107159.cms|title=BJP 'buying' MLAs in Karnataka|date=6 July 2019|work=Times of India|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref> The BJP demanded that the government should resign.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/karnataka-political-crisis-bjp-demands-kumaraswamy-s-resignation-1564352-2019-07-08|title=Karnataka crisis: 21 Congress ministers resign; BJP wants Kumaraswamy to step down|date=8 July 2019|work=India Today|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref>
Eventually the Congress-JD(S) coalition was reduced to 101 seats, whilst the BJP retained 105. After three weeks of turmoil, Kumarasamy lost a trust vote and resigned. On 26 July 2019, [[B. S. Yediyurappa]] was sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka once again.


Eventually the Congress-JD(S) coalition was reduced to 101 seats, whilst the BJP retained 105. After 3 weeks of turmoil, HD Kumarasamy lost a trust vote and resigned. On 26 July 2019, [[B.S. Yediyurappa]] was sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka once again.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:100%;"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:100%;"
|-
|-
Line 135: Line 151:
! style="width:1px; background:green;" |
! style="width:1px; background:green;" |
| style="text-align:left;" | Yes
| style="text-align:left;" | Yes
|{{Composition bar|099|206|green|width=125px}}
|{{Composition bar|99|206|green|width=125px}}
|-
|-
! style="background:red;" |
! style="background:red;" |
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! style="background:gray;" |
! style="background:gray;" |
| style="text-align:left;" | Could not attend
| style="text-align:left;" | Could not attend
|{{Composition bar|002|206|gray|width=125px}}
|{{Composition bar|2|206|gray|width=125px}}
|-
|-
| colspan="03" style="text-align:centre;" | '''Government resigend thereafter'''
| colspan="03" style="text-align:centre;" | '''Government resigned thereafter'''
|}
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Karnataka Legislative Assembly]]
* [[2010s in political history]]
* [[2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election]]
* [[2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election]]
* [[2019 Karnataka Legislative Assembly By-election]]
* [[2019 Karnataka Legislative Assembly by-elections]]
* [[2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election]]
* [[2020 Madhya Pradesh political crisis]]
* [[2019 Maharashtra political crisis]]
* [[2015 Bihar political crisis]]


{{#seo:
==References==
|keywords=Politics of Karnataka, 2019 in Indian politics, Political crises in India
{{reflist}}
|description=
}}


[[Category:Politics of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Politics of Karnataka]]
[[Category:2019 in Indian politics]]
[[Category:2019 in Indian politics]]
[[Category:Political crises in India]]
[[Category:Political crises in India|K]]
[[Category:History of the Bharatiya Janata Party]]
[[Category:Political corruption in India]]
[[Category:Government crises]]
[[Category:Constitutional crises]]
[[Category:2019 scandals]]
[[Category:Modi administration]]
[[Category:History of the Indian National Congress]]

Latest revision as of 15:25, 30 October 2025


The 2019 Karnataka political crisis was a period of political instability when members of the legislative assembly in the Indian State of Karnataka submitted their resignations, which led to the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state.[1][2]

2019 Karnataka political crisis
DateJuly 2019
LocationKarnataka, India
TypeParliamentary crisis
CauseResignation of 17 legislators
Participants
Outcome

Background[edit | edit source]

In the 2018 elections to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the most seats, 104,[3] but the Indian National Congress (INC) and Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) formed a coalition government with 120 out of 224 seats.[4] In the 2019 general election, the BJP-led NDA won 25 out of 28 seats in Karnataka[5] while the INC-led UPA won two and the Independent Candidate won one.

Resignations[edit | edit source]

On 1 July, two members, Ramesh Jarkiholi and Anand Singh of the INC submitted their resignations.[2] Over the next few days, ten INC and three JD(S) legislators resigned.[6]

The reaction of the coalition government was to attempt to convince the legislators who had submitted their resignations to rescind them.[6] Many of the legislators fled to Mumbai, and directed the police not to permit INC leaders to meet them.[6] The government also attempted to induce the legislators to return by offering them cabinet posts; all 21 INC ministers resigned on 8 July to ensure that a sufficient number of ministerial berths were available.[7] It also requested that the speaker should disqualify those who had resigned under anti-defection legislation.[8]

The speaker, K. R. Ramesh Kumar, did not immediately accept the resignations, on grounds that he was constitutionally obliged to scrutinize them.[9] Consequently, some of those who had submitted their resignations approached the Supreme Court, which on 12 July agreed to hear the case on 16 July, whilst ordering the speaker not to disqualify any lawmakers or take any other action in this connection.[10]

At the 16 July hearing, Mukul Rohatgi, counsel for the legislators who had submitted their resignations, said that the speaker should be ordered to rule immediately on the resignations.[11] Rohatgi argued that disqualification was a "mini-trial", and so a decision on the resignations should take priority over one on disqualification.[11] Rajeev Dhavan, who appeared for the Chief Minister of Karnataka, argued that the legislators never met the speaker, and consequently the speaker should rule on their disqualifications first.[12] Ranjan Gogoi, the Chief Justice, said that the court would have to balance two competing claims: first, the excuse of resignation could not be used to circumvent anti-defection measures; but, second, claims of defection should not be used to prevent resignation.[12] He also said that the court would have to consider the extent to which it is permitted to issue directions to holders of other constitutional posts, such as that of the speaker of the assembly.[11]

Members responsible for the Crisis[edit | edit source]

14 INC and 3 JD(S) legislators were responsible for the political crisis. One Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party legislator also left the coalition government. A few days later, INC legislator Ramalinga Reddy withdrew his resignation.[13]

List of members who took back resignation[edit | edit source]

SI No. Constituency Member Party
1. BTM Layout Ramalinga Reddy Indian National Congress

List of disqualified legislators[edit | edit source]

S.No Constituency Member Party 2019 by-election results[14]
1. Ranebennur R. Shankar Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party Did not contest. Won by BJP candidate Arunkumar Guththur
2. Shivajinagar R. Roshan Baig Indian National Congress Did not contest. Won by INC candidate Rizwan Arshad
3. Maski (ST) Pratap Gowda Patil Lost to INC candidate Basanagouda Turvihal
4. Hoskote M. T. B. Nagaraju Lost to Independent candidate Sharath Kumar Bachegowda
5. Kagawad Shrimant Balasaheb Patil Won back seat as BJP candidate
6. Krishnarajapuram Byrati Basavaraj
7. Rajarajeshwari Nagar Munirathna
8. Yeshvanthapura S. T. Somashekhar
9. Gokak Ramesh Jarkiholi
10. Vijayanagara Anand Singh
11. Hirekerur B. C. Patil
12. Athani Mahesh Kumathalli
13. Chikkaballapur Dr. K. Sudhakar
14. Yellapur Arbail Shivaram Hebbar
15. Mahalakshmi Layout K. Gopalaiah Janata Dal (Secular)
16. Krishnarajpet Narayana Gowda
17. Hunsur Adagur H. Vishwanath Lost to INC candidate H. P. Manjunath

Reaction and conclusion[edit | edit source]

The INC members in the Rajya Sabha forced adjournments twice in protest,[15] alleging bribery on the part of the BJP.[16] The BJP demanded that the government should resign.[17]

Eventually the Congress-JD(S) coalition was reduced to 101 seats, whilst the BJP retained 105. After three weeks of turmoil, Kumarasamy lost a trust vote and resigned. On 26 July 2019, B. S. Yediyurappa was sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka once again.

Vote of confidence
Head Count → 23 July 2019
Yes
99 / 206
No
105 / 206
Could not attend
2 / 206
Government resigned thereafter

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Gowda, Aravind (5 July 2019). "Rebel-rousing in the Congress". India Today. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Karnataka crisis: Congress steps up efforts to persuade MLA to withdraw resignation from assembly". Times of India. Press Trust of India. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  3. ↑ "Who should get first call to form govt in Karnataka? Jury's out". Times of India. TNN (Times News Network). 16 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "From results to resort politics: how Karnataka formed its government". The Hindu. May 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  5. ↑ "As it happened | Karnataka Lok Sabha results 2019: highlights". The Hindu. 23 May 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 ""Serious threat" From Congress Leaders, No Intention Of Meeting Them: Rebel Karnataka MLAs Tell Police". Outlook India. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "All 21 Karnataka Congress Ministers resign to make way for new Cabinet". The Hindu. 8 July 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  8. ↑ "Karnataka crisis: Congress seeks disqualification of rebel MLAs; one more quits". Times of India. Press Trust of India. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Karnataka political crisis updates: Need to ensure resignations are genuine and voluntary, says the Speaker". The Hindu. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  10. ↑ Aryan, Aashish (12 July 2019). "SC directs status quo in Karnataka MLA resigning case, next hearing July 16". Business Standard India. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Speaker should 'decide now' on resignations, Karnataka MLAs tell Supreme Court". The Telegraph. Calcutta. Press Trust of India. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Karnataka crisis live: speaker says working as per Constitution, Supreme Court order tomorrow". The Economic Times. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  13. ↑ "Ramalinga Reddy withdraws resignation". The Hindu. 19 July 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Karnataka bypoll results Highlights: BJP wins 12 out of 15 seats; state Congress leaders quit posts". The Economic Times. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  15. ↑ Das, Shaswati (9 July 2019). "Rajya Sabha adjourned twice over Karnataka crisis". Livemint. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  16. ↑ "BJP 'buying' MLAs in Karnataka". Times of India. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  17. ↑ "Karnataka crisis: 21 Congress ministers resign; BJP wants Kumaraswamy to step down". India Today. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
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