BJP MLA KG Bopaiah to be Pro tem Speaker for floor test tomorrow; Congress objects

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Bengaluru, May 18, 2018: Governor Vajubhai Vala appointed BJP’s Virajpet MLA KG Bopaiah as the Pro tem speaker. He will oversee proceedings for the floor test on Saturday afternoon. Reacting sharply to the development, the Congress said it will not accept this and will move the Supreme Court again. The Congress said VR Deshpande was the senior most member of the Assembly and should have been appointed the leader.

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi says that the convention is to appoint the seniormost MLA without showing bias towards man, woman and party. By this convention, RV Deshpande should have been appointed. RV Deshpande is an eight-time MLA and was expected to be appointed the pro-tem speaker. Deshpande had said earlier in the day that he had received no communication from the Governor.

In 2011, KG Bopaiah had disqualified all MLAs who had rebelled against Yedyurappa. His decision was upheld by Karnataka HC but overturned by Supreme Court.

Minister Prakash Javadekar, who was also the BJP’s  Karnataka poll in-charge, today expressed confidence that the BS Yeddyurappa government will prove its majority in the state Assembly tomorrow. "BJP is ready and confident of winning trust vote in Karnataka. We will prove our majority on the floor of the House," he tweeted. His tweet came after the Supreme Court ordered that a floor test is held in the Karnataka Assembly at 4 pm tomorrow to ascertain whether newly appointed BJP Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa enjoys a majority in the state.