Yeddyurappa loyalist BJP MLA announce resignation

Serving anxious moments to the BJP government in Karnataka, party MLA Basavaraj Patil Attur, a known loyalist of former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today announced that he would resign his assembly membership.

The announcement by Attur, a former Minister, came a day after Shettar and other BJP leaders dismissed the threat to government and also took a dig at the January four deadline set by KJP supremo Yeddyurappa.

"I have decided to quit my assembly membership. I will be sending my resignation letter to the Speaker K G Bopaiah by fax today and meet him in person on January five", Attur told the press here in the company of Yeddyurappa.

Yeddyurappa said Attur will be the KJP candidate for the Basavakalyana assembly constituency in the next year election. In the event of Attur's resignation accepted, the strength of the ruling BJP in the 224-member assembly comes down to 117 (including Speaker). Congress has 71, JDS 26, IND 7 and three vacannt.

Yeddyurappa has already declared that his party would meet in Bangalore on Jan four to decide the fate of the Shettar ministry, the resignation of which he has been demanding.

There is no word yet from Yeddyurappa how many MLAs and ministers will oblige him by resigning their membership ahead of the assembly polls expected to be held by April-May next.

Meanwhile, BJP National General Secretary Anantkumar told reporters at Davanagere after attending the district level BJP workers convention that action would be taken against ministers and MLAs who "betray" the party.

The party was monitoring the movements of minsters and legislators, he said.

He refused to comment on the absence of Yeddyurappa loyalists – Excise Minister M P Renukacharya, B P Harish (Harihara assembly constituency MLA), S V Ramachandra (Jagalur) and M Virupakshappa (Chennagiri) at the meeting.

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