Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s office on Monday informed that all nine JD(S) ministers in the state have submitted their resignations. The move has been viewed as a measure to facilitate a cabinet reshuffle following the severe crisis the JD(S)-Congress combine government is going through.
Earlier, 21 ministers of Congress had quit the cabinet.
“All JD(S) ministers have also resigned like the 21 Congress ministers who have submitted their resignations. The Cabinet will be reshuffled at the earliest,” the Chief Minister’s Office said on Twitter.
All ministers from #JDS have submitted their resignations just like the 21 ministers from #Congress.
Cabinet reshuffle will happen soon.— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) July 8, 2019
The crisis in Karnataka was triggered by the resignation of 13 MLAs of the ruling coalition.
The JD(S) share in the cabinet is 12, including the chief minister, while that of the Congress is 22, including independent R Shankar who was inducted as minister last month under the party’s quota.
Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said, “All of us (Congress Ministers) may resign to accommodate our rebel legislators in the cabinet. If my party asks me to resign, I will. The party will take a decision.”
On Saturday, 11 lawmakers of the Congress-Janta Dal-Secular coalition government had put in their papers.
The Congress and JDS together have 116 MLAs in the 224-member state assembly where 113 is the majority mark.
The Janata Dal (Secular) on Sunday had called a legislative party meet.
DK Shivakumar, Congress MLA from Kanakapura and the Irrigation, Kannada and Culture Minister in the Government of Karnataka had informed that his party too shall call a party meeting and iron out the differences if any within the party or between the two ruling partners. He expressed confidence that the issue would be sorted out amicably and that the MLAs who have resigned will come back.