Hours after the BJP swept Karnataka in the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has called for an informal meeting of ministers on Friday, May 24 to discuss the future of the JD(S)-Congress government in the State. Speculations are rife that the coalition government will be toppled after BJP grabbed 25 out of the 28 seats in the State, with JD(S) and Congress winning 1 seat each.
Kumaraswamy will also hold a JD(S) legislative party meeting on Friday, at the party's Bengaluru office after the cabinet meeting. The meeting will be held to discuss the results of the parliamentary elections, JD(S) spokespersons confirmed. Whispers within political circles hint that opposition leaders want CM Kumaraswamy to step down from the post. The cabinet meeting has been confirmed in a last ditch effort to keep the JD(S)-Congress coalition government together.
The BJP witnessed an unprecedented victory winning 25 out of the 28 constituencies. JD(S) and Congress seats have been reduced to 2 seats with both parties winning just one seat each.
Congress candidate DK Suresh has won from Bengaluru rural and JD(S) candidate Prajwal Revanna who is the grandson of party supremo HD Deve Gowda won from Hassan. In Mandya, independent candidate Sumalatha won with an impressive majority, defeating the Chief Minister's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy.
The election results also saw the defeat of political giants such as JD(S) Supremo HD Devegowda in Tumakuru. In Gulbarga, veteran Congress politician Mallikarjun Kharge who has never lost an election in his political career ceded defeat to protege Umesh Jadhav, who defected to the BJP. Former CM and senior Congress leader M Veeramoily Moily lost to BJP's BN Bache Gowda in Chikkaballapura.
The sweeping victory of the BJP in the state has cast doubts on the ruling coalition holding together for the rest of the term. With serious infighting and historic rivalry between the party cadres, the Congress - JD(S) combine has been, at best, able to sustain an unstable government.