After a week long stint of rallies, allegations, rushed meetings, forced alliances, the Karnataka government elections ended in victory for B. S. Yeddyurappa. The vote counting that lasted 12 hours had everybody on the edge, and all kinds of predictions were being made.
After taking legal opinion from former Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi, the Governor of Karnataka Vajubhai Vala invited the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) to form the government on Wednesday evening. Rohtagi had suggested inviting the single largest party first, bending things in favour of BJP.
BJP leader B. S. Yeddyurappa was invited to take oath as the new CM of Karnataka on Thursday morning at 9 am at Raj Bhavan. Yeddyurappa will take oath today and will then shore up the required numbers. It appears that the BJP, with 104 legislators is trying to meet the halfway mark and increase numbers by persuading the disgruntled Lingayat and Vokkaliga communtiy MLAs. They have also managed to win over one of the independents—R Shankar.
BJP was invited after Congress combined with JDS had failed to prove majority to the Governor. Congress had staked claim and submitted a signed letter with the names of 117 legislators. The Congress party is disappointed with this development and has called it “an encounter of democracy”. An upset JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy termed the Governor’s move as “unconstitutional and a trend that will encourage horse-trading”.
Wednesday developed for the state of Karnataka as follows-
- 11:20 am: BSY Yeddyurappa went to Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor after BJP appointed him as legislative party leader.
- 1:05 pm: Kumaraswamy dismissed reports that he had met senior BJP leaders to form the government.
- 2 pm: JD(S) sent out allegations of horse-trading against BJP, accusing them of offering ₹100 crore to bribe MLAs.
- 2:45 pm: Congress and JD(S) MLAs signed a sheet in support of Kumaraswamy.
- 5:30 pm: Kumaraswamy along with 37 JD(S) MLAs and Congress leaders reached Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor while he invited BJP to form the government.