BANGALORE: Independent MLAs Shankar and Nagesh have withdrawn support to the Karnataka government. The two lawmakers, who represent the Ranebennur and Malabagilu assembly constituencies, did not specify their reasons in their letters.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka BJP MLAs remain at a hotel in Gurgaon. News agency ANI has tweeted photos showing the MLAs sitting in what looks like the hotel's dining area.

Basavaraj Horatti, a minister in the Karnataka government, has warned the BJP "people will teach them a lesson". Horatti was commenting on allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to poach Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs in an attempt to bring down the HD Kumaraswamy government. "This should be set right immediately or else people will teach them [BJP] a lesson," Horatti said.

Only God can save Congress-JDS government: Deve Gowda exclusive "Only God" can save Karnataka's coalition government, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda told India Today TV. He also said he had "full faith" in JD(S) MLAs and that "nobody" in the Congress or the JD(S) "will go".

Deve Gowda is the leader of the JD(S), which runs the state government in coalition with the Congress. Both the Congress-JD(S) combine and the opposition BJP have levelled horsetrading charges at each other.

Deve Gowda asked why a national party (meaning the BJP) should take its MLAs "so far away" (to a hotel in Gurgaon) and keep them "under lock and key".

He asked why the BJP didn't have confidence in its own MLAs. Karnataka's ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition and the opposition BJP traded MLA poaching charges on Monday, and the drama shows little sign of abating. First, a top Karnataka minister levelled horsetrading charges at the BJP, saying three Congress MLAs were in a Mumbai hotel with leaders from the saffron party.

Then BS Yeddyurappa, the BJP's Karnataka unit chief, accused Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy of trying to lure his party's MLAs using "power and money". The BJP's MLAs are currently staying in a hotel in Gurgaon, Haryana. Kumaraswamy says there's no question of instability in his government. Stay tuned to this live blog for the latest.