(ANI photo)

BENGALURU: The BJP in Karnataka seems to be confident of winning the numbers game in the state assembly scheduled for Thursday even as the ruling coalition partners, the Congress and the JD(S), continued to make desperate attempts to save their government.

After over a week long heightened political activity in the city, the focus on Tuesday shifted to the Supreme Court , which heard the pleas of 15 Karnataka rebel MLAs against alleged delay by the speaker in accepting their resignations.

As the lawyers of the rival factions argued in the apex court, Karnataka BJP president BS Yeddyurappa was seen in a relaxed mood playing cricket with party legislators who are camped at a resort on the outskirts of the city.

Yeddyurappa, who has been busy strategising with senior party colleagues and legislators, spent most part of the Tuesday at a resort near Yelahanka.

Later in the day, BJP's state unit media cell released a photo of Yeddyurappa playing cricket with party MLAs Renukacharya and S R Vishwanath, among others. He was seen batting.

The Congress, meanwhile, continued with its efforts to win back the rebels as the wobbly coalition government headed by chief minister H D Kumaraswamy appeared to be on the brink of collapse.

The state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao warned the rebels of disqualification if they failed to return to the party fold.

Rao took to Twitter to warn the rebel leaders of the possible consequences that may jeopardise their career.

"Just heard. the rebel Congress MLAs in Mumbai are in complete lockdown. Mobiles taken away, can't step outside, (they are) under house arrest," Rao alleged.

Posting a smiley with his tweet, Rao said the rebels were in the "clutches of BJP" and were sure to get disqualified.

"Soon they will be waiting in queue for B-forms to get BJP ticket," he added.

Rao also accused the BJP of trying to take suspended Congress MLA R Roshan Baig to Mumbai.

Baig too has resigned from the assembly.

Baig was detained late Monday night by the special investigation team probing the 'IMA ponzi scheme' at the airport when he was about to fly to Mumbai and he was questioned till 1 pm Tuesday, according to SIT sources.

"The BJP is now escorting Roshan Baig! They were targeting him just a few weeks ago in the IMA scam. Clearly shows their hand in trying to topple the Congress/JDS govt.

Doesn't this prove our allegations that the resignations of our MLAs are neither voluntary nor genuine?" Rao tweeted.

Meanwhile, the apex court will pronounce its order on Wednesday morning.

The order from the top court will come a day before the Congress-JD(S) government faces the floor test in the assembly, which would end suspense over the numbers game triggered by a raft of resignations by the ruling coalition lawmakers.

As many as 16 MLAs — 13 from the Congress and three from JD(S) — have resigned while two independent MLAs S Shankar and H Nagesh have withdrawn their support to the coalition government, keeping it on the edge.

In a bid to keep their flock together ahead of the floor test, the Congress, BJP and JD(S) have shifted their MLAs toresorts.

The Congress on Tuesday shifted its MLAs from a hotel in the city to a resort on the outskirts, amid fears that some more legislators may resign.

