Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has no official engagements till 3 pm on Wednesday, keeping himself unoccupied all morning to review the Supreme Court’s verdict on the disqualification of rebel legislators.
The top court is scheduled to pronounce its decision at around 10.30 am.
The SC verdict is crucial as it will decide the fate of the 17 MLAs whose resignation, and subsequent disqualification, paved the way for the BJP to come to power.
The saffron party is backing the rebels for the December 5 bypolls to 15 constituencies, of which it needs to
win at least 7-8 to ensure a majority in the Assembly.
At 3 pm, the BJP core committee is slated to meet where the SC verdict will be dissected.
On Tuesday, disqualified Congress legislator MTB Nagaraj visited Yediyurappa and reportedly flagged the rebellion posed by BJP’s Sharath Bachegowda, whom he defeated last year. Sharath has threatened to contest as an Independent since the BJP is backing Nagaraj’s candidature, should the SC verdict allow him to contest. Yediyurappa is said to have asked Nagaraj to wait for the SC verdict.
Ahead of the judgement, rebel legislators A H Vishwanath, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Muniratna, S T Somashekhar, Byrathi Basavaraj and Mahesh Kumathalli flew to Delhi on Tuesday.
The Congress is also keeping its fingers crossed hoping that the SC will uphold former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar’s decision to disqualify the rebel MLAs till 2023.
The party, which has already announced candidates to eight constituencies, is waiting for the SC verdict to finalise tickets for the other seven seats.
The JD(S) is also waiting for the SC verdict to finalise candidates.
Meanwhile, former JD(S) minister G T Devegowda is learned to be lobbying for his son to contest the bypolls from Hunsur, where the BJP plans to field C P Yogeeshwar. The BJP is exploring Yogeeshwar as an alternative in the event of Vishwanath deciding not to contest, or if the SC verdict does not allow him to do so.
Apparently, Devegowda, whose proximity with BJP has only grown since the fall of the coalition, has offered to join the saffron party if his son gets the bypoll ticket.