Cong-JD (S) delegation meets Governor, submits list of 117 MLAs

Bengaluru, May 16

Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and the Congress piled their lawmakers into waiting buses on Wednesday to meet Karnataka's Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj Bhavan, as the race to form state government hots up.

Congress and the JD (S) submited their letter endorsing a Congress-JD (S) government with former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy at the helm.

"We have the numbers," JD (S) leader Kumaraswamy said to the press after meeting the Governor. "We have submitted a list of 117 MLAs to governor and requested him to consider our claim. He promised to go by the Constitution."

Earlier in the day, JD (S) leader Kumaraswamy accused the BJP of offering Rs 100 crore each and cabinet posts to its newly elected legislators in a “desperate” attempt to form a government in Karnataka.

‘Horse-trading’

Later in the day, Karnataka's outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of encouraging horse-trading to lure Congress and JD-S legislators to their party for forming the government after the May 12 assembly election gave a fractured mandate.

"Modi and Shah are supporting BJP leaders in horse-trading to poach legislators of our party and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) to prevent us from forming the next government in the state," Siddaramaiah told the media here.

Asserting that the party would not allow the BJP to form a government in the state at any cost, Siddaramaiah said none of the Congress legislators were missing or likely to defect to the BJP.

"We have a plan to safeguard our MLAs, who are together and will not join the BJP, which has 8 less seats for the 112-halfway mark and prove majority," Siddaramaiah said.

The allegations were promptly dismissed by the BJP, with Union Minister Prakash Javadekar dubbing them as "imaginary".

"This (talk of) Rs 100 crore, Rs 200 crore is imaginary. The BJP is not doing this. We are not in the habit of practising horse-trading. This is the kind of politics the JD(S) and Congress do. We are going by the rule book and we will form the government," Javadekar said.

"We have extended our support to the JD-S to form the new government, with its state leader H.D. Kumaraswamy as chief minister. As we have the numbers (117), Governor Vajubhai R. Vala should call our alliance first than the BJP, which does not have the required numbers," pointed out Siddaramaiah.

Both the post-poll alliance partners met Vala on Tuesday evening and staked claim to form the new government in the southern state.

Outgoing power minister and Congress winner DK Shivakumar said the party's legislators were intact and none were ready to switch over to the BJP.

Karnataka threw up a hung House in Assembly elections held on Saturday. Of the 222 Assembly segments, the BJP won 104, Congress 78 and JD-S 38, including one by its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Although the BJP emerged as the single largest party, the Congress quickly reached out to JD (S) and staked claim to form government with Kumaraswamy at the helm. — Agencies

Live Updates

6:15 pm: The allegations that Siddaramaiah made on PM Modi that that latter has allowed 'horse trading' in Karnataka is condemnable, false, irresponsible and baseless: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

5:45 pm: Meeting with Governor ends. "We have the numbers," Kumaraswamy says. Says, "Governor promised to consider into our claim." 

5:22 pm: JD (S) workers protest against BJP outside Governor's house in Bengaluru.

5:00 pm: JD (S) MLAs at Raj Bhawan. HD Kumaraswamy leads delegation to Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Vajubhai Vala.

4:45 pm: JD (S) taking signed letter to Governor Vajubhai Vala, say news reports. Letter contains endorsement from Congress, and JD (S) lawmakers.

4:30 pm: Congress MLAs to leave for Raj Bhavan from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office.

415 pm: Congress-JDS claim support of 118 MLAs, to meet governor at 5 pm: TV reports  

3:45 pm: BJP's Ananth Kumar, Dharmendra Pradhan, JP Nadda and Muralidhar Rao after meeting BS Yedyurappa at his residence

3:30 pm: Stealing of MLAs shouldn't be allowed. No Guv can go against Constitution. We can't tell you whom we'll approach & whom not (sic). At this juncture we've complete faith in Guv that he'll go by Constitution & not party politics: Ghulam Nabi Azad on if Congress will go for a legal option

3:25 pm: If Congress-JD(S) are not invited by the Governor, MLAs will sit on a 'dharna' outside Raj Bhawan from tomorrow. MPs may also join them: Sources 

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