Karnataka: There is a rebellion brewing within the Congress following the party’s decision to support the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) in forming a government in Karnataka. Some Congress MLAs from the Lingayat community are said to be unhappy with JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy being projected as the chief minister of the alliance as he a Vokkaliga.
Sources say seven-eight Lingayat MLAs of the Congress are protesting against the alliance. They have told the Congress leadership that they do not want Kumaraswamy as Karnataka chief minister.
Congress leadership took the decision to support Kumaraswamy’s JDS after it became clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party was short of the majority mark of 112. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 by winning 104 seats while the Congress came second with 78 and the JDS ended third with 37 seats. JDS alliance partner Bahujan Samaj Party, Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party and an independent candidate won in one constituency each.
The Congress and JDS-BSP group together have 116 seats, four more than the halfway mark of 112 as results were declared for 222 constituencies. There are 225 members in Karnataka Assembly but voting takes place in 224 seats but on May 12 voting took place in only 222 as polling was countermanded Jayanagar and deferred to May 28 in Rajarajeshwarinagar.
The Congress-JDS formula for government formation is as follows: JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy to be the chief minister, Congress gets the deputy chief minister’s post, 11 other ministers to be from JDS while Congress will have 21 ministers.
The Congress-JDS delegation met Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala on Tuesday evening and staked claim to form a government. But before them, BJP leaders including the party’s chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar had met the governor.
Sources claim the Governor has invited Yeddyurappa to form the government and take oath on May 17.
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