The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition filed by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) against Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala’s decision to invite the Congress and JD(S) to form the government in the state. This comes just a day before JD(S) State President HD Kumaraswamy takes oath as Chief Minister.
According to Livelaw, the petitioners deemed the alliance between the Congress and JD(S) as ‘fraud on the electorate and violative of the constitution of India’.
ABHM also asked the court as to whether a post-poll alliance can be deemed as constitutional and also questioned how the JD(S) could be allowed to form the government when it had only won a total of 38 seats out of the total 222.
Speaking to TNM, Anand Sharma of the ABHM said, “The Governor’s decision to invite the BJP was unethical and on similar grounds calling the Congress-JD(S) alliance is also unethical. Hindu Mahasabha is of the opinion that someone who is for a Hindu rashtra should be in power. Since the Supreme Court has rejected our petition, we will organise peaceful protests.”
Assembly elections last week culminated with the BJP obtaining a strong 104 seats, while the Congress won 78 and JD(S) secured 37 seats. The Congress was quick to reach out to the JD(S) and offered its support to the latter to form the government.
The Governor, meanwhile, invited BJP to form the government, and BS Yeddyurappa took oath. But the Congress was quick to move the Supreme Court that ruled that a trust vote would have to be carried out on the floor of the Assembly.
After much drama and speculation, the BJP’s two-day Chief Minister was forced to resign on Saturday before the motion of confidence was supposed to take place, making way for the Congress-JD(S) combine to form the government.
HD Kumaraswamy will be sworn in on Wednesday, on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha, as the Chief Minister of the state.