Governor invites Yeddyurappa, Congress moves Supreme Court
NEW DELHI / BANGALURU : Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala has invited the BJP to form the next government. The party’s prospective Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa will take oath at 9 am tomorrow. The party has been given 15 days to prove majority in the house. The BJP has 105 lawmakers, including an Independent, in the 222-seat assembly and is 7 seats short of majority.
Earlier this evening, the Governor met a delegation of the Congress and JD(S) leaders, who also staked claim to form government, claiming they have majority.
The letter from governor’s house has been delivered to BS Yeddyurappa’s house. An Independent lawmaker has offered support to the BJP, taking the party’s tally from 104 to 105 in the 224-seat assembly.
The Congress won in 78 constituencies, the JD(S) and its pre-poll ally BSP have 38 seats.”The Governor holds a constitutional office. He must not walk on the path that is illegal. We hope there is not another outrage on the constitution,” senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said at a press conference called late in the evening.The Congress has decided to approach the President Ram Nath Kovind for redressal.
JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy alleged that the BJP promised people in his party 100 crores in cash and cabinet posts and 32 of his lawmakers have been approached by the party. The Congress said one of its lawmakers, Anand Singh, is missing. He is said to be close to Reddy brothers, the mining barons from Bellary. The two parties are planning to move their lawmakers to a resort.
Senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar has rubbished Mr Kumaraswami’s allegations. Asked how the BJP plans to achieve majority, he said, “It would happen in the natural course of things… Many lawmakers are upset with the unethical marriage of convenience between the Congress and the JD(S)”.
After the scare over missing lawmakers in the morning, the Congress and the JD(S) tried to parade all their lawmakers before the Governor, But the Governor declined.
The BJP contends that it should be allowed to form the government as it is the single largest party. The Congress disputes the claim, citing the precedent set by the BJP in Goa and Manipur last year. In both states, the Congress emerged the single largest party but the BJP cobbled up alliances and was invited to form the governent.
Meanwhile, The Congress has moved the Supreme Court, asking for a stay in the swearing-in ceremony of BS Yeddyurappa on Thursday morning. The party has asked for an urgent hearing tonight after Governor Vajubhai Vala invited the BJP to form the government first, ahead of the JDS-Congress combine.
The governor has given the BJP 15 days to prove it has a majority in a floor test. The governor took the decision after consulting with former Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi, who favoured inviting the single largest party first, in this case the BJP. (With Agency Inputs ).
