Karnataka plays Goa, Cong-JDS join hands to keep single largest BJP out

Pushed down ruling Congress and elected the BJP as the single largest party.

But less eight seats to the majority mark of 112.

A hung Assembly.

As a result, Congress has offered Janata Dal Secular the post of chief minister to form the government. The BJP has called it back door entry.

The ball is in the Governor’s court.

It was a eventful day since Tuesday morning.

Trends started coming in and BJP showed crossing the half mark of 112 seats in the 222-seat Karnataka Assembly.

Congress leaders even conceded defeat. But tables started turning as actual final results started coming by evening. BJP sunk down below the majority mark.

Right now, BJP is 104, eight less to 112.

And Congress has gone up to only 78. But with 38 of JDS, they form 116, four more to the majority mark. 

Being a hung Assembly, there are only two possibilities with which the new government can be formed.

Possibility number one is 104 of BJP and 78 of JDS which makes it 142. Possibility number two is 78 of Congress and 38 of JDS, which makes it 116.

Congress moved in swiftly and offered chief minister’s post to JDS leader Kumaraswamy. JDS and Congress have together gone to Raj Bhavan and have staked claim.

On the other hand, the BJP has also staked claim to form the government, on the ground that it is the single largest party. 

And this is the way Congress leader Randeep Surjewala has argued the case, on the basis of what the BJP argued in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya and what the Supreme Court finally said.

In fact Goa has become a strong argument the Congress is using in Karnataka. 

BJP leader Yedyurappa also rushed to the Raj Bhavan and staked his claim.

He said the Governor has asked for two days to take a final decision in this regard.

However, no BJP leader in Karnataka or Goa is ready to speak anything more than this. They even cancelled their victory celebrations, even in Goa.