Karnataka coalition in trouble as BJP takes lead in state
With early trends indicating a lead for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 23 out of 28 lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, reports emerged that Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, whose coalition face a jolt, called for an emergency meeting on Thursday (May 23). However, the Chief Minister’s office denied the claim.
While CM’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, was in a neck-to-neck fight against independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya, his father and Janata Dal (Secular) party supremo, HD Deve Gowda, was trailing behind the BJP candidate in Tumkur. JD(S), which contested in eight seats, was leading in only one — Hassan, where Gowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna contested.
The Congress, which was expected to win at least 10-12 seats, was leading only in four, including in Bangalore Central where Rizwan Arshad contested against incumbent BJP MP PC Mohan.
Veteran leaders like K H Muniyappa from Kolar, Mallikarjun Kharge from Gulbara, Veerappa Moily from Chikkabalapur were trailing.
Also read: Kumaraswamy-led coalition in K’taka completes a year. Will it survive?
The BJP was on the winning side in the coastal belt where the party held a dominant position. In Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya was leading.
Early indications could mean that the coalition, which completed one-year in office, will be under trouble and could end the government’s tenure. BJP leaders in Karnataka were already celebrating and eyeing formation of the next government.
On the eve of counting, Union minister Sadananda Gowda said Kumaraswamy may have to step down by Friday (May 24) morning and pave the way for the formation of a new government. The BJP enjoyed the support of four rebel MLAs, and more will quit the Congress-JD(S) if the BJP comes to power again at the Centre.
During the 2018 Karnataka state elections, the BJP won 104 seats and failed to secure a simple majority in the 224-member Assembly. The JD(S) with 38 seats and the Congress with 77 seats came together to form the government.
