The Bharatiya Janata Party staked claim to form a government in Karnataka on Monday evening, after a daylong exercise that saw it win over five of the six independent legislators — and the necessary majority number.
Emerging as the single largest party with 110 seats, the BJP needed the support of three more MLAs to prove a majority in the 224-member assembly.
A BJP delegation led by central leader Arun Jaitley and CM-in-making B.S. Yeddyurappa met Governor Rameshwar Thakur around 9 p.m. and handed over a letter informing him about the party’s strength.
After the meeting, Jaitley told reporters: “We have given a letter signed by 110 legislators and letters of unconditional support to Yeddyurappa by five independent MLAs.”
He said the party also took along the independent legislators to meet the governor. “We have produced letters of 115 MLAs to the governor and requested him to invite Yeddyurappa to form the new government. We hope that the governor will act according to provisions of the Constitution.” Yeddyurappa was elected leader of the BJP legislature party earlier in the day.
Among the independent legislators supporting the BJP are three rebels of the Congress, which bagged 80 seats in the House. Within hours of the results on Sunday, BJP had won back one of its own rebel independent MLAs and one from H.D. Deve Gowda’s JD(S).
{{/usCountry}}Among the independent legislators supporting the BJP are three rebels of the Congress, which bagged 80 seats in the House. Within hours of the results on Sunday, BJP had won back one of its own rebel independent MLAs and one from H.D. Deve Gowda’s JD(S).
{{/usCountry}}Support of the independents became crucial after apprehensions in some quarters that the JD(S) — with 28 seats — might try to play spoilsport by forging an alliance with the Congress.