Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday asked the Assembly Speaker to set a date for a trust vote, throwing a surprise dare to the BJP after earning a breather from the Supreme Court.

Kumaraswamy’s move came minutes after the apex court restrained Speaker Ramesh Kumar from deciding at least till Tuesday on the resignations and possible disqualification of 10 rebel MLAs from the ruling coalition.

After several days, the coalition leaders appeared relaxed while the BJP camp looked tense. Perhaps fearing tit-for-tat poaching, the BJP moved all its MLAs to a resort on Bangalore’s northern fringes. The Congress denied any reverse-poaching plans.

“There is turmoil in our state as (many) legislators have rebelled. I’m not here to stay chief minister forever, I know that,” Kumaraswamy said in the Assembly on the opening day of the monsoon session.

“In the backdrop of these developments I have decided to go in for a trust vote. I request you to fix a time,” he told the Speaker.

Some 13 Congress MLAs and 3 from the Janata Dal Secular have handed in their resignations which, if accepted, will reduce the government to a minority. The Assembly numbers are now 117 for the government and 107 for the BJP, after two Independent ministers resigned and switched sides this week.

On a petition from 10 of the rebel lawmakers, the Supreme Court had on Thursday directed the Speaker to decide on their resignations “in course of the remaining day” before ordering status quo on Friday citing “weighty issues”.

State BJP chief and leader of the Opposition B.S. Yeddyurappa left the House soon after Kumaraswamy’s move and got into a huddle with his lieutenants.

While leaving the Assembly later, Kumaraswamy told reporters: “Whatever the issue is, I will face it on the floor of the House.”

The Speaker told reporters the House business advisory committee would decide the date for the trust vote but appeared to contradict himself by adding: “I asked him (Kumaraswamy) to tell me a day in advance to include the trust motion in the agenda. I guess he will seek the trust vote soon but I cannot ask him when to seek it.”

Legal experts said Friday’s apex court order for status quo on the resignations would not preclude a trust vote during this period.

Asked how the coalition planned to win the floor test if the rebels defied the whip and stay away, Congress floor leader P.C. Siddaramaiah said talks were on with all the rebels except Congress MLA Roshan Baig, suspended for anti-party activities.

Asked whether he feared the rebel MLAs getting disqualified, Yeddyurappa said: “The Speaker cannot take any decision until the court decides.”

While the rebel MLAs have resigned rather than attempted to defect to the other side, disqualification can still cause them some discomfort.

Legal expert Ashok Haranahalli explained that disqualified lawmakers cannot become ministers till they contest and win a by-election — or a subsequent election. No disqualified Congress or JDS legislator can, therefore, immediately join any new BJP government in Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah ruled out any “reverse operation” (poaching on BJP members) to win the impending trust vote. “We don’t believe in operations. We are comfortable (with) healthy minds and healthy physiques,” he joked.

He said the allies had decided on Thursday that the government would seek a trust vote.

Three rebels MLAs who were supposed to meet the Speaker on Friday failed to turn up. The reason was not clear but two of them — Pratapgouda Patil of the Congress and Narayana Gowda of the JDS — were among the 10 rebels who had met Kumar on Thursday on the apex court’s orders.

After the first 13 resignations, the Speaker had rejected 8 saying they were not in the prescribed format and asked the remaining five to meet him on July 12 and 15.

Anand Singh (Congress), Patil and Gowda were to meet him at 4pm on Friday while Ramalinga Reddy (Congress) and K. Gopaliah (JDS) are to do so on Monday.

“If the MLAs don’t come I will go home. What can I do?” the Speaker told reporters.