Bengaluru, July 14: In a major development, MTD Nagaraj, one of the rebel Congress lawmaker in Karnataka, who had assured Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Chief Minister Kumaraswamy to take back his resignation has left for Mumbai by a special flight from Bengaluru's HAL airport. Nagaraj was one of 16 lawmakers who have resigned from the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government. Political Turmoil Deepens As JDS-Congress Coalition Close to Losing Majority, BJP Seeks Governor's Intervention.

On Sunday morning, Nagaraj was spotted climbing in a private with state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief BS Yeddyurappa's close aide and personal assistant Santosh. Former Deputy Chief Minister R Ashok was also spotted near the flight. This is the third time, the aide of former BJP CM were seen escorting rebel lawmakers. Later, Nagawat was seen at Mumbai airport. 5 More Rebel MLAs Move to Supreme Court, Seek Intervention; BS Yeddyurappa Says Ready for Floor Test.

Tweet by ANI:

"I will request Kumaraswamy to resign immediately because more than 15 MLAs from JDS and Congress, and also two Independent ministers have resigned and they have reflected that they will support BJP," Yeddyurappa told media in Bengaluru on Sunday, news agency ANI reported.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has said that no decision would be taken on rebel MLAs until Tuesday. On Saturday five other lawmakers also approached the apex court. If the resignations are accepted, the Congress-JDS number will come down to 100 and the majority will drop from 113 to 105 and the BJP has 105 members and support of two independent MLAs, taking its tally to 107.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 14, 2019 02:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).