Tripura Governor stands by his Karnataka counterpart

Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy on Saturday voiced support to his Karnataka counterpart Vajubhai Vala for inviting B S Yeddyurappa of the BJP to form the government in the southern state, saying he had "acted in his best conscience". Yeddyurappa quit after just three days in office, without facing the floor test in the Assembly today.

Asked about his take on Vala's role, Roy told reporters, "The Karnataka governor acted in his best conscience. That matter, as far as I understand, was left to the discretion of the governor, subject to correction by the Supreme Court."

He was speaking on the sidelines of the inaugural session of Tripura NASYACON 2018, which has been organised by the state AYUSH mission.

Vala had asked Yeddyurappa to take the floor test within 15 days of his swearing-in on May 17, but the Congress and the JD(S) had moved the Supreme Court, which directed the BJP leader to take the test today.

The May 12 polls to 222 of the 224 constituencies in Karnataka threw up a hung Assembly, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party having 104 MLAs but falling short of a majority, while the Congress won 78 seats and the JD(S) 37.

Yeddyurappa's resignation will pave the way for formation of a government led by Karnataka JD(S) chief H D Kumaraswamy, who has the backing of the Congress. The post-poll alliance of the two parties has claimed the support of 117 MLAs in the 224-member House, with an effective strength of 221.

PTI