Governor Appoints BJP MLA KG Bopaiah as Pro Tem Speaker Ahead of Floor Test
Bengaluru, May 18: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala on Friday appointed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator KG Bopaiah as pro tem Speaker of the state Assembly ahead of the crucial floor test on Saturday. KG Bopaiah had been the Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly from 2009 to 2013. Earlier today, the Supreme Court said the pro tem speaker will take decisions in accordance with the law on the issue of floor test in Karnataka Assembly.
A bench of Justice A K Sikri, Justice S A Bobde and Justice Ashok Bhushan on Friday said the pro tem speaker, the seniormost member of the Assembly, would administer the newly-elected members their oath and then conduct the floor test. Reacting to the appointment of KG Bopaiah as pro tem Speaker, the Congress said its senior-most MLA Raghunath Vishvanath Deshpande should have been ignored. The party said it will soon decide the future course of action against Bopaiah’s appointment.
The Supreme Court on Friday directed that the floor test be held in the Karnataka Assembly at 4 pm on Saturday to ascertain the support Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa enjoys, slashing the time given to him by Governor to prove his majority following a split verdict. The apex court also barred Yeddyurappa from taking any policy decisions till the floor test. BJP legislative party leader Yeddyurappa was on Thursday morning sworn in as the Chief Minister after the May 12 election threw up a hung Assembly.
The BJP won 104 of the 222 seats, falling eight short of the 112-halfway mark. The Congress bagged 78 seats and the JD-S 37. The Congress and JD-S formed a post-poll coalition and staked claim to form the government.