BENGALURU: Outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday thanked the people of Karnataka for voting in favour of the Congress. He also exuded confidence that Congress will be able to form a government in the state. “I thank you for your verdict. It has been an honour to serve you as Chief Minister for the past 5 years. I am confident the Congress Party & the new Government we form, will continue to work for the best interests of our state & our people,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of encouraging horse-trading to bring the BJP to power in the state. He also asserted that Governor Vajubhai Vala had to invite the Janata Dal (S)-Congress combine to form a government as it enjoyed the support of 117 MLAs. “The Governor has to give an opportunity to us. Narendra Modi is encouraging horse-trading,” he said.
Amid reports of dissent among Congress MLAs over support to the JD(S), Siddaramaiah assured that the party stands united.
The May 12 Assembly election has thrown up a fractured verdict with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 seats in the 224-member house, falling eight seats short of the 112 needed to form a government in the state. The Congress won 78 seats and the JD(S), 37. Polling was held for 222 of the 224 Assembly seats. As Karnataka threw a fractured mandate in the assembly, HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday reminded the people of the ‘Operation Lotus’ that was carried out in 2008. Kumaraswamy claimed that the BJP offered his MLAs Rs 100 crore in bribes to break ranks and back the BJP in forming a government in Karnataka.
Source: Zee News