No chance of forming Govt with Cong: Deve Gowda

Bangalore, Oct 25: Opting for 'early elections' in Karnataka, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal(S) National president H D Deve Gowda today ruled out any possibility of forming an alternative government in the state.

In a bid to quell rebellion among the Legislators' group, which demanded rapprochement with the Congress and severely opposed mid-term polls, he announced all the sitting MLAs would be given tickets in the coming elections.

Addressing a hurriedly convened press conference here, Mr Gowda, seeking to put an end to the confusion created over the formation of an alternative government, said both the Congress and the BJP had categorically favoured fresh elections and his party also felt the same.

''There is no room left for the formation of another government in Karnataka,'' he stated.

The former Prime Minister, who was upset over the attempt made by Party's senior leader M P Prakash to form another coalition set up in Karnataka with the Congress, declared forming government with the Congress was a ''closed chapter now and the only option left for the party was to go before the people.''

"Mr Prakash made an attempt to know the pulse of Congress leaders about their intention to revive ties and avoid mid-term polls in the state. This as no violation of party principles," he stated. Quoting Congress leader and Karnataka incharge Prithviraj Chavan's statement that there was no proposal before the party to form a government by taking the support from the JD(S), Mr Gowda said that he had conveyed his decision to senior leaders to prepare for elections.

Stating that since Congress had turned down the proposal there was no option for the party but to go for fresh election. "All the sitting legislators and those who have supported H D Kumaraswamy would be renominated to contest in the mid-term poll on the party tickets," he said.

Mr Gowda claimed that JD(S) leaders and party legislators were not averse to face early elections and the party had already taken the decision to go before people the day the Karnataka Governor recommended for president's rule in the state. Stating that party would not project any particular leader as the next Chief Ministerial candidate, he announced that party would field its candidates in all the 224 assembly seats.

Dismissing a question whether the party legislators were left in lurch in taking decision to go for polls against their wishes, Mr Gowda retorted, "When all options had been stamped-out where is the question of forming next government." Urging the Governor to take immediate steps to dissolve the Assembly and prepare the ground for early elections, Mr Gowda said he would write to the Governor the party's categorical decision favouring the mid-term poll.

The results of the recently concluded urban local bodies elections had proved the party's strength. An initiative had already mooted to revamp the party organisation at the district level, he said.

Senior leader and former Home minister M P Prakash had met several Congress leaders at New Delhi including union home minister Shivraj Patil, Congress leaders Motilal Vohra and Prithviraj Chavan and discussed about the two parties forming a government in Karnataka.

After his return Mr Prakash had claimed that Congress' response was 'positive' in its response and a final picture would emerged once Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi returned from her visit to China.

UNI