Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy won a crucial trust vote in the Karnataka state assembly on Friday, with 117 legislators backing the JDS-led coalition to bring down curtains on the drama over the government formation process. Kumaraswamy took oath as the CM of the state on May 23 after Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) BS Yeddyurappa stepped down from the post on not being able to garner the numbers to prove majority ahead of the floor test on May 19.

Ahead of the floor test today, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators walked out of Assembly after Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa warned of a state-wide stir if the Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by H D Kumaraswamy did not waive farm loans within 24 hours.

“It was you who had promised waiving farm loans within 24 hours (after assuming office). The farmers will not be ready to buy your stories that you head a coalition government and it has its own compulsions. You have to announce it in this special session itself. Else, we will prepare an action plan to launch our agitation across the state,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew S Suresh Kumar’s candidature for the Speaker’s post after which Congress’ MLA KR Ramesh Kumar unanimously elected as speaker of the Vidhan Soudha. Welcoming Kumar, as the speaker of the Assembly, CM Kumaraswamy said,”We are happy that you were unanimously elected as speaker of the house.”

I want to express my gratitude to all the leaders of the house to have made it a unanimous decision. It is rather rare that all members of the Assembly elect a speaker together. You (Ramesh) had conducted the proceedings of the house in 1994 and 1999. The way you conducted the house is already in history, and I am hopeful that you will continue giving your best and upholding the post,” Kumarawamy added.

Former CM and Leader of Opposition BS Yeddyurappa while speaking on KR Ramesh Kumar said,”I agree with everything what CM Kumaraswamy has said today. The people of the entire state have watched as you conducted the proceedings of the house in five years. We discussed in our legislature meeting that we should ensure unanimous election of the speaker.”

In the recently concluded Karnataka Elections 2018, though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats (only eight seats short of the simple majority mark of 112), the Congress party with 78 seats and JD(S) with 37 seats, along with two independent candidates, stitched up a post-poll alliance with a total of 117 MLAs.

On May 15, soon after the results were declared, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala invited the BJP to form the government with a time period of 15 days to prove their majority on the floor of the house, the Supreme Court in an interim order directed the floor test to be held in just two days, even after BS Yeddyurappa had taken oath as the Chief Minister of the state. However, unable to garner the required number of votes to form Government in the state, Yeddyurappa resigned as the Chief Minister prior to the top court-ordered floor test, but accused the Congress of hijacking the ‘People’s Mandate’.