Rebel JD(S) legislator M C Ashwath today resigned as member of the Karnataka assembly apparently to avoid action by his party for defying its whip during yesterday’s trust vote, which was won by the ruling BJP government.
Ashwath, an MLA from Chennapatna constituency, submitted his resignation earlier in the day which was accepted by Speaker K G Bopaiah, Assembly Secretariat sources said here.
Ashwath, believed to have been poached by the ruling BJP, stayed away from the assembly proceedings yesterday during which Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa won the motion of confidence for the second time in four days.
Following Ashwath’s resignation, the JD(S)’s strength in the 224-member house has come down to 27. Ashwath remained untraced for the past few days and JD(S) yesterday complained to Governor H R Bhardwaj that its party legislator had been kept in an undisclosed location by the BJP.
Sources in the BJP indicated that Ashwath might join the party. JD(S) had announced it would seek Ashwath’s disqualification.
