Bengaluru, January 15: Since the Congress-Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) coalition government came to power, the two parties are having a tough time keeping their flock together. The possibility of losing majority stares at the ruling coalition after three Congress MLAs have camped in Mumbai with some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders. Can BJP topple the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka?

Going by the numbers in Karnataka assembly, the coalition government seems stable unless the BJP makes over two dozen legislators resign. The strength of the Karnataka assembly is 225 including the Speaker. The magic number is 113, excluding the Speaker who casts his vote only in the event of a tie. The Congress has 79 MLAs and the Speaker also belongs to the party. The JD-S has 37 MLAs and BJP 104. DK Shivakumar Alleges Horse Trading by BJP, Accuses HD Kumaraswamy of Being Lenient.

The Congress and JD-S together have the support of 116 MLAs. KPJP MLA R Shankar and independent candidate Mulbagal H Nagesh have withdrew their support from the government. BSP legislator N Mahesh is still with the coalition, which takes their number to 117. According to reports, the BJP wants to reduce the total strength of the assembly to 207 in order to claim a simple majority in the House with its 104 legislators. Karnataka Congress Legislators Lobby for Cabinet Posts Ahead of Expansion.

If Congress or JD-S MLAs defect, anti-defection laws come into effect. This means that even if 17 MLAs of the ruling coalition vote against the government, they stand to be disqualified as legislators. Hence, the BJP will have to ensure that 18 rebel MLAs either walk out of the assembly or do not appear during the trust vote.

Even if the BJP manages to get 20 MLAs to resign, the difference between the BJP and the Congress-JD(S) combine will be just four. "We are in touch with 20 Congress MLAs and we want them to join the BJP. If we manage to do this, then we will not need the independents to side with us. The count in the house will fall to 204 and BJP can easily come to power. We want to annihilate the Congress in Karnataka," sources in the BJP told TNM.

But the Congress and JD-S too have not been silent. Five to six BJP legislators are reportedly in touch with the ruling coalition.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 15, 2019 02:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).