The HD Kumaraswamy government will face the floor test in the Karnataka Assembly on Friday, two days after he was sworn in as the head of a Congress-JD(S) dispensation.

Adding drama to the long election season, the BJP’s urban face and five-time legislator, Suresh Kumar, is running for the post of Speaker. He will be up against Congress veteran KR Ramesh Kumar, who is a former Speaker and minister.

While the Congress has 78 MLAs, Kumaraswamy’s JD(S) has 36, and the BSP has 1 legislator. The alliance has also claimed the support of the lone KPJP MLA and of an Independent legislator. Kumaraswamy had won from two constituencies. With 104 MLAs, the BJP is the single-largest party in the Assembly.

The three parties had fought a bitter battle in the the elections, with the BJP ending nine short of a majority. The Congress then backed Kumaraswamy to be the chief minister, resulting in a Congress-JD(S) post poll alliance.

Meanwhile, realising that the Congress’ challenges were not over with Kumarswamy’s swearing-in ceremony, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and incumbent Rahul Gandhi addressed the party’s newly-elected legislators during their visit to Bengaluru on Wednesday.

According to party sources, both leaders asked the MLAs to stay united, show restraint and to not fall prey to rumours and false news. They also thanked the MLAs for resisting offers made by the BJP to abandon the Congress-JD(S) combine.

Sonia is also believed to have spoken of the importance of the alliance on the national canvas, given the imminent elections in various States and the Lok Sabha.

The pep talk by the Congress top brass also comes in the wake of there being many aspirants for ministerial berths.

‘On my merit’

Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, who was sworn in along with Kumarswamy on Wednesday, resigned from the Legislative Council on Thursday morning. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Koratagere constituency in Tumakuru district in the recent elections.

Later, speaking to reporters, Parameshwara asserted that he was made Deputy CM on account of his own merit, and not because he hailed from the Dalit community. “It is by chance that I am a Dalit.”

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