After Anand Singh, another Congress MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi quits party in Karnataka

The wobbly coalition government in Karnataka suffered a double blow on Monday after Ramesh Jharkiholi, Congress MLA from Gokak constituency of Belgavi district, resigned from the party -- hours after another MLA from Vijayanagar Anand Singh resigned from the Assembly. Jarkiholi submitted his resignation to the Speaker but refused to give any reason behind his move. 

Anand Singh, however, said: "Yes, I have resigned. Today morning, I submitted the resignation.” When told that Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar has not confirmed the resignation, Singh said, "Is it so? Then I will resign again."The speaker denied having received any resignation.

"I have not received any resignation. Nobody had approached me to give me any resignation," Kumar said.

The MLA refused to disclose the reasons that led to his resignation. Singh said will meet Governor Vajubhai Vala and after meeting him he would narrate the developments.

JD(S) leader and Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is in the US for the foundation laying ceremony of a temple, tweeted that he was aware of the developments taking place in the state."The foundation laying of Kalabhairaveshwara Temple is going on at New Jersey under the aegis of Swamiji. I am watching all the developments from here. BJP is day dreaming to destabilise the government," Kumaraswamy tweeted. 

Singh had recently held a press conference in Ballari against the sale of 3,667 acres of land to JSW Steel. Singh had stated that protecting the interest of the district was more important than the party and had hinted he would resign. It is speculated that he would join the BJP. At the height of dissidence in the Congress last year, Singh had disappeared and was incommunicado. However, he surfaced and showed his allegiance to the party.

Earlier in January, he had come to blows with another Congress MLA J N Ganesh at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru.Ganesh had accused him of finishing him politically. A badly injured Singh was later admitted to hospital. Reports were rife that at least six more MLAs from Congress would also rebel against their party.

(With PTI inputs)