The Hindu : Front Page : MLAs hopeful, but BJP seniors worried

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Thursday, Nov 08, 2007
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MLAs hopeful, but BJP seniors worried

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: Their meeting with President Pratibha Patil in Delhi has raised the hopes of the Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs that a BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) combine might be invited to form a government in the state. Although they left together in a chartered aircraft, the legislators of the two parties returned to Bangalore in several batches on regular commercial airlines.

The BJP-JD(S) joint legislature party leader, B.S. Yeddyurappa, and several former Ministers returned to Bangalore late on Tuesday night.

The party MLAs, who had been staying in Bangalore for the past week, have returned to their Assembly constituencies to celebrate Deepavali.

But all their attention is now on the Union Cabinet’s meeting likely to be held on Thursday as the Karnataka issue is expected to come before it for discussion.

The party MLAs are in touch with their friends and counterparts in the Congress to know what is happening in Delhi.

The former Minister and senior BJP leader V.S. Acharya told presspersons that he was confident that the party might be invited soon to form a government.

He said the party was hopeful that government-formation would take place day or two after Deepavali.

But some senior party functionaries remain cautious. Sources in the BJP said the party was apprehensive about the moves by Mr. Gowda, especially in the wake of his son and former Minister H.D. Revanna not joining the legislators’ delegation that met the President in Delhi.

They said that the Janata Dal (Secular) Legislature Party leader, H.D. Kumaraswamy, was lukewarm to them during their meeting with JD(S) leaders in Bangalore on November 3 to seek a fresh letter of “unconditional support” and during the Delhi trip.

This caused concern among them, sources said.

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