The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Split verdict will delay formation of government

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Saturday, May 24, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Split verdict will delay formation of government

S. Rajendran

Major parties planning post-poll strategies

JD(S) not to approach any party this time
Leaders begin informal interaction with other parties

Bangalore: The third phase of polling over on Thursday, a political lull has set across the State after all the hectic electioneering for over a month.

After a two-day rest, political activity of a high order is on the cards soon after the election results are announced on Sunday. By all accounts, government formation is not expected to be an easy exercise unless one of the three main political parties in the fray secures a simple majority in the least. While the Bharatiya Janata Party is the only party which has been categorically stating that it will win a comfortable majority, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) have refrained from such announcements for obvious reasons.

The top leaders of all the three parties have opted for a period of rest and relaxation before stepping into the next phase of government formation on Sunday. This is a period when they have to quietly forget the charges and counter-charges that they levelled against each other during the run up to the elections.

The former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who is camping near Belgaum after the final phase of polling, told The Hindu on Friday that although the Janata Dal (Secular) is confident of obtaining a good number of seats (at least 75 if not more than 100), it has too look forward for a coalition arrangement should the need arise. “We will, however, not go to the doorstep of any party. It is for the others to come to us seeking our support,” he said.

In other words, unlike in 2004, when the former Prime Minister and national president of the Janata Dal (Secular) H.D. Deve Gowda took the lead in forging an understanding with the Congress, it would be a different ball game this time. Sources in the Janata Dal (Secular) said: “Let us await the results on Sunday. The party leadership is still upset with the Congress which failed to reciprocate after we pulled out of the understanding with the BJP. We have exhibited our commitment to secularism.”

Although on record the leaders of all the three parties have categorically stated that they would not join with the other to form a coalition government, sources in the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) told The Hindu that the leaders of their respective parties have commenced an informal interaction, more so, after the exit poll surveys have indicated that a hung Assembly is in the offing. Some of the Chief Ministerial aspirants in the Congress have also sent across feelers to the Janata Dal (Secular) leadership. Mr. Gowda who is away from Bangalore is expected to return on Saturday.

Should there be a hung Assembly as in 2004, at least two parties have to come together to form a Government. It is therefore for the two national parties, the Congress and the BJP, to work out a strategy of working out an arrangement with the Janata Dal (Secular) should neither of them succeed in getting the requisite number of seats that could enable them to form a Government of their own. On its part, the Janata Dal (Secular) leadership is busy in talking to all its prospective legislators to ensure that they stand behind the leadership. The party is expected to take a collective decision before opting for an understanding with any political party, should there be a need.

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