Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala has issued a second deadline to complete the trust vote in the Assembly by Friday, which chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has called a 'love letter'.

The governor's second letter to Kumaraswamy came after the Assembly failed to meet his first deadline to complete the trust vote by 1.30 pm today.

Pointing out that the debates and discussions in the Assembly appeared merely to delay the floor test, Vala referred to allegations about horse-trading and said it was constitutionally imperative the floor test be completed without any delay and on Friday itself.

In his second missive, the governor expressed his 'prima facie satisfaction' that the government has lost its majority confidence of the house. 'When the allegations of horse-trading are widely made and I am receiving many complaints, it is constitutionally imperative that the floor test be completed without any delay and today itself. I, therefore, require you to prove your majority and complete and conclude the floor test proceduretoday,' Vala wrote to Kumaraswamy.

The chief minister, who earlier in the day cited a Supreme Court verdict that a governor cannot act as an ombudsman of the legislature, criticised Vala for talking about horse-trading now 'when it had been happening' for the last several days.

The governor added that keeping in view these circumstances he had asked the chief minister to prove the majority by 1.30 pm. 'In view of the antecedent circumstances, which convey a very sorry state of affairs, I hereby require conclusion of the process of floor test today itself. Kindly prove your majority by the end of today,' Vala said in his letter.

Vala advised the chief minister that if more members wish to speak, the House sitting can be extended. 'Such long drawn proceedings on the question of floor test do not reflect well upon the constitutional and democratic set-up of the House,' he said.

Kumaraswamy asked: 'Why couldn't the governor see horsetrading when the MLAs were resigning.'

Referring to the 15 rebel MLAs of ruling Congress and JDS and their stay in a Mumbai hotel, he asked: 'If the governor had taken action when the MLAs resigned, will all these special aircraft (to shift the MLAs) have flown?'