Amidst fast-paced political developments in Karnataka, the JD(S) has confirmed to The News Minute that the party has accepted the Congress’ offer to form the government with HD Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister. Speaking to TNM, JD(S) General Secy Tanveer Ahmed said that the parties have agreed on the basic principles of the alliance.
“We have not worked out the modalities of the alliance yet, but we have an in-principle agreement. We are willing to form the government with Kumaraswamy as the CM,” Ahmed said. Ahmed said that Kumaraswamy will be sworn in as the CM on May 18.
He, however, said that they will not accept ‘outside’ support from the Congress, and that the party will have to be a part of the government. Sources in the JD(S) say that they also want an assurance from the Congress that they will have a pre-poll alliance ahead of the 2019.
Background
The Congress had reached out to the JD(S) as soon as the BJP’s lead started trickling down.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru later, Ghulam Nabi Azad had earlier confirmed the same and said, “We have had long telephonic conversations with both Mr Deve Gowda and Mr Kumaraswamy. And they have accepted. Hopefully, by this evening, we will go together to the Governor and give the letter to form the government.”
On Tuesday morning, HD Kumaraswamy, who had just arrived from Singapore left to the Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Mutt in Mandya along with his wife to offer prayers. Even as reporters waited for him in Bengaluru, he did not return to the city.
As of 2pm on Tuesday, the BJP’s tally stood at 104 seats (leads and results), while Congress had 78 seats in its kitty and the JD(S) had 38.
Congress also reached out to the Independents who had won in a bid to keep the BJP at bay.
In the hard-fought election battle in Karnataka, the early leads showed that the BJP had crossed the halfway mark. But as leads started getting confirmed to wins, while BJP continued to emerge as the single largest party, they did not have a clear majority. However, the Congress and the JD(S) together could comfortably cross the halfway mark.
HD Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister of Karnataka between February 2006 and October 2007, when the JD(S) was in alliance with the BJP. Back then, the JD(S) and the BJP had an agreement over sharing the chief ministership between the two parties. However, after his agreed two-year term ended, there were fissures in the alliance between JD(S) and BJP, when Kumaraswamy refused to step down.