india

Updated: Jul 18, 2019 10:20 IST

After several failed attempts to reach out to the rebel MLAs, a Karnataka JD(S) leader on Thursday managed to enter the Mumbai luxury hotel housing them and is holding talks with them, sources said. This come on the day when the Kumaraswamy government is scheduled to face a trust vote in the Assembly.

“Syed Shahid, State youth vice-president of the JD(S) managed to enter the hotel as he is not a very senior leader and not many people recognize him… he is now in talks with the MLAs,” a senior JD(S) leader confirmed.

The ruling Congress-JD(S) combine leaders made several attempts to meet the rebel MLAs and try and convince them to return to the party fold but did not succeed. Senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar was made to wait for five hours outside Mumbai’s Renaissance hotel as rain poured and was eventually detained and whisked away by police.

Follow updates on Karnataka political developments here.

The rebel MLAs have issued videos and written letters to Mumbai police alleging threat to life from the top leadership of the Karnataka ruling coalition naming Shivakumar, Kumaraswamy, Ghulam Nadi Azad and Siddaramaiah and others. The police have thrown a security ring around the hotel and are screening all visitors.

In a minor relief for the embattled coalition, Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy Wednesday said he has decided to withdraw his resignation from the assembly and will vote in favour of the trust vote to be sought by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday.

Reddy, a former minister, is among the 13 Congress and three JDS MLAs who have tendered their resignations while two independent legislators have withdrawn their support to the 14-month old Kumaraswamy government, leaving it struggling for survival.

There’s a big question mark on the survival of the Congress-JD(S) government with the Supreme Court Wednesday ruling that the rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs, who had moved the trust vote, cannot be compelled to participate in the proceedings of the ongoing assembly session.