In a clear signal that the Congress-led UPA government was moving towards recommending dissolution of the Karnataka Assembly and holding of elections, the Congress on Monday for the first time formally demanded “immediate” dissolution of the Karnataka Assembly and holding of elections. Though the government is yet to make a move, swift developments could take place with the arrival of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi from her China trip on Monday night.

The Congress, party sources indicated, had decided to ask the government to take a decision in this regard after its efforts to play ball with a breakaway faction of JD(S) led by M P Prakash failed to fructify, particularly with the AICC leadership not willing to give a lease of life to H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) which has continued with its now-on-now-off relationship with BJP.

The Sonia Gandhi-led party specifically referred to  Deve Gowda’s recent letter to President Pratibha Patil, apart from BJP leader Yashwant Sinha’s comments in media, as it demanded immediate dissolution of the Karnataka Assembly and holding of elections since that was the “common stand” of all the three parties involved in the State’s political imbroglio.

“The Congress calls upon the Centre and the Governor to dissolve the Assembly forthwith and allow the State to proceed to elections to prevent imminent horse trading, as admitted by Deve Gowda himself,” AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said here.

While AICC leaders have been speaking in favour of elections all through even as the party was hobnobbing with a JD(S) faction led by  Prakash, this is the first time that the Congress has formally demanded dissolution of the Assembly and holding of elections to end the political drama in the State. He said the Centre was “entitled” to dissolve the Assembly and call for elections immediately, but in “deference” to the spirit of the Bommai and Bihar judgments had not done that and kept the Assembly in suspended animation.

“The Congress is concerned about the huge and irreversible prejudicial impact of all these unholy antics upon the State. One of India’s most prosperous states has been afflicted with paralysis,” Singhvi said.

Call for elections
Stating that only elections could end the “Karnataka soap opera”, he said, “It is a sorry saga of corruption, horse trading, mismanagement, political opportunism, hypocrisy and unholy alliances."

Replying to questions, Singhvi said “no law” said that in an Assembly under suspended animation, there would have to be a floor test before dissolution as mandated by the Bommai judgement.

“That stage has passed. Deve Gowda in his letter to the President, with copies marked to the PM and the Governor, himself said that there is no alternative to the dissolution of the Assembly and holding of elections,” he said.