Congress, BJP exploring ways to form Govt

Bangalore, Oct 11 (UNI) After the fall of JD(S)-BJP coalition government and imposition of President's rule in Karnataka, the Congress and the BJP are making serious attempts to form a government by taking support from JD(S).

Former Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who was annoyed after the JD(S) went back on the power-sharing pact, denying him an opportunity to succeed H D Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister, was now extending an olive branch to them, seeking outside support to form a government.

However, the BJP High Command was yet to give the green signal to his move.

Mr Yediyurappa, who undertook a state-wide 'Dharma Yuddha' campaign against JD(S) for 'betraying' the BJP, has now urged former Chief Minister Kumaraswamy to extend outside support to form the government.

Defending his u-turn on the issue, Mr Yediyurappa said he was urging the JD(S) leaders to give outside support to prevent Congress party's design to regain power through backdoor.

However, Mr Kumaraswamy, who was facing tremendous pressure from party legislators to take a lead in forging a rapproachement with BJP, has reportedly expressed inability saying that the matter has to be decided by Party supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.

Taking advantage of the Centre's decision to keep the legislative assembly in suspended animation, leaders of the Congress too were making frantic efforts to form a government by engineering a split in JD(S).

State Congress leaders, including KPCC president Mallikarjuna Kharge, Opposition leaders in the assembly N Dharam Singh, H K Patil and former minister D K Shivakumar met yesterday and explored the possibilities of forming an alternative government in the state.

The Congress party, which had fared badly in the recent Urban Local Bodies polls was not keen on facing early elections if a snap poll was announced in Karnataka.

A sombre atmosphere prevailed in the JD(S) camp as H D Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy had not met after the fall of the coalition government. While he was reportedly keen on forging an alliance again with the BJP, his father Deve Gowda rejected it and insisted on facing elections.

The disgruntled JD(S) legislators, groping in the dark, felt that they were left in the lurch.

Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur, who had recommended imposition of President's rule after the fall of coalition government and took over the reins of the administration, has convened a high-level meeting of officials tomorrow.

UNI