Will Yeddyurappa remain Karnataka's CM? It depends on a letter
What's the story
The political thriller in Karnataka will today be played inside the Supreme Court, as the bench who heard Congress-JD(S) petition in an unusual overnight hearing fixed Friday as the next date.
At the centre of this legal battle, is the letter the state's newly-sworn-in Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa sent to the governor Vajubhai Vala.
This letter might just cut Yeddyurappa's dreams short.
'Karnataka's Natak'
Congress-JD(S) claims it's impossible to get majority, fairly
Making the case of Congress-JD(S) at the Supreme Court, senior advocate and party leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "BJP cannot go from 104 to 111 unless there is defection - and that is prohibited."
He added, by giving Yeddyurappa 15 days to prove majority, the governor added insult to the injury.
But did Yeddyurappa really claim he had 111 MLAs? Singhvi didn't know.
It's not ending
BJP's Prakash Javadekar claims Congress forged signatures
Congress claimed to have 116 signatures and was ready to even parade MLAs in front of the governor, a request the latter denied.
BJP, on the other hand, claimed the Grand Old Party couldn't have got signatures before its leaders reached Bengaluru.
"Forging signatures is not new to the party...In Karnataka, they have resorted to their age-old practice," said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar.
What'll happen next
It all comes down to the letter, now
"We do not know what kind of majority Yeddyurappa has claimed. Unless we see that letter of support, we cannot speculate," said Justice SA Bobde of the special bench in the rare hearing.
The bench asked BJP to produce the letter in next hearing, scheduled for today.
The copy of Yeddyurappa's letter will now decide if he will remain Karnataka's 23rd Chief Minister or not.