2 lawmakers pull out of Karnataka ruling coalition

Two Independent lawmakers - H Nagesh and R Shankar - have withdrawn support to the government of HD Kumaraswamy in Karnataka. The move comes amid high drama over the shifting of the BJP MLAs accusing the government of attempting to poach on their lawmakers and shifting more than a hundred of them to a resort in Gurgaon near Delhi. Accusing Kumaraswamy's government of inefficiency, one the missing lawmakers, R Shankar, said, "Today is Makar Sankranti. on this day we want a change in government... so I am withdrawing my support today". The Congress has claimed that five of its lawmakers are missing and accused the BJP of launching another "Operation Lotus".