Amid the suspense over the fate of the B S Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka following the revolt by a section of the Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Legislative Assembly, both the ruling party and opposition Janata Dal - Secular on Saturday continued their political machinations to maintain control over the rebels, who are currently holed up in a Goa hotel.
Tourism Minister and mining magnate G Janardhana Reddy, who has been engaged in intense parleys with the 14 rebel MLAs, remained in Goa to persuade his party colleagues and also five independent MLAs to return to Bangalore to participate in the crucial confidence vote on Monday.
A BJP source hinted that the rebel MLAs might return to the city but refused to comment on whether they will fall in line with the party and vote in favour of the motion of confidence to be moved by Yeddyurappa in the state assembly on October 11, to fulfil a directive by Governor H R Bhardwaj.
Even as Reddy, a dissident-turned-loyalist continued talks with rebels, JD-S MLA Jameer Ahmed Khan also met them in Goa, sources said.
Yeddyurappa, who is imploring divine intervention to save his government, on Saturday offered pooja at the Lakhshminarasimha Swamy temple and said he was confident of winning the trust vote.
"I am confident that the rebel MLAs will return to the city today and I will win the vote of confidence," he told reporters. He claimed that he visited the temple to pray for the 'welfare of people'.
In another development, JD-S state unit president H D Kumaraswamy, who has also become a rallying point for a section of BJP dissidents, returned to the city on Saturday and declared, "my mission Goa has been successful", indicating that there is no change in the resolve of dissidents to vote against the BJP government.
Minister for Power Shobha Karandlaje, whose induction into the ministry in September led to the fresh bout of revolt against Yeddyurappa, flayed the JD-S for interfering in the affairs of the BJP.
"It is our family affair. What role does Kumaraswamy have in it," she asked while speaking to the press and even offered to quit the ministry.
Opposition Congress leader in the state assembly Siddaramaiah accompanied by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president R V Deshpande met Governor H R Bhardwaj to discuss the prevailing political situation. The Congress has been expressing apprehensions over assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah conducting the session in a fair manner and had urged the governor to appoint observers to oversee the conduct of business on Monday when Yeddyurappa faces the floor test.
In a shock to the JD-S, which is trying to pull the plug on the BJP government, its MLA M C Ashwath from Chennapatna reportedly switched over to the saffron party.
"Ashwath has betrayed the party. The people will teach him a lesson," JD-S MP from Mandya N Cheluvaraya Swamy said.
