The Congress and Janata Dal Secular have been holding a series of meetings since morning to consider the possibility of saving the government after 11 legislators from the ruling coalition resigned on Saturday. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah, meanwhile, has called a meeting of Congress Legislature Party on Tuesday.

Former prime minister and JDS veteran HD Deve Gowda has been meeting party leaders. He also met Congress's troubleshooter DK Shivakumar.

The Congress' state in charge, KC Venugopal, has come to Bengaluru and met state party leaders at a private hotel.

The Congress played down the crisis, with its former chief minister, Siddaramaiah, saying, "There is no threat to the coalition government. It is safe". Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the party is in still in touch with the rebels and will get a clear picture on the July 12, when the assembly session begins.

Speaker Ramesh Kumar said he would look at the latest batch of resignations only after he returns to work on Tuesday.

The Congress and the JDS together have 118 members in the 224-seat state assembly, along with one BSP and one Independent member. The defections will bring its numbers down to 105 and the majority mark in the assembly from 113 to 106. The BJP also has 105 members.

The BJP has said it should be invited to form a new government if the ruling coalition lacks the numbers. But it has denied the coalition's accusations of engineering the crisis.

"Let's wait and watch. Are we sanyasis (hermits)? After the resignation process is over and the speaker takes his decision, leaders of our party will discuss and decide," state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa said in response to a question whether the party was preparing to form government.

Eight Congress and three Janata Dal Secular legislators submitted their resignations to the Speaker on Saturday afternoon. They then met Governor Vajubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan before being flown out to Mumbai.