All eyes on Supreme Court

Disqualifying rebels

Governor could step in

Governor may recommend president’s rule

NEW DELHI: Amid the political uncertainty in Karnataka , the monsoon session of the assembly begins on Friday. The BJP has decided to raise the issue of the resignations after the obituary references, saying the Kumaraswamy government has lost its majority.Even as the ball remains in the Speaker’s court on the fate of the rebel MLAs – and that of the government – a lot depends on how the Supreme Court reacts to Speaker Ramesh Kumar wanting to give himself more time to decide whether the MLAs’ resignations are genuine and voluntary and should be accepted. He is expected to submit his report to the apex court today.So what course can the events take from here? We look at a few possibilities.Despite the Supreme Court urging him to take a decision “forthwith” on the resignations of 10 rebel MLAs, Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Thursday reserved his decision, insisting he will take a final call only after hearing all sides. Now, a lot depends on the SC’s observations.On an appeal from Congress and JD(S) leaders, the speaker may invoke the anti-defection law or the 10th Schedule of the Constitution and disqualify the 16 rebel MLAs if they defy the whip issued by their respective parties and abstain from the legislature session which begins on Friday. However, rebel legislators claim they cannot be disqualified as they have already resigned.The opposition BJP could petition governor Vajubhai R Vala, asking him to order the coalition to prove its majority, pending acceptance of the resignations. The BJP may even parade its MLAs before the governor as a show of strength to stake claim to form the government.The governor can also recommend to the Centre to place Karnataka under president’s rule on the grounds that no party has a majority to provide stable governance. However, this scenario is highly unlikely as the Supreme Court has directed governors to pursue all options to ensure that an elected government is in power, before resorting to such a decision.