Cong’s hopes dim, BJP’s looking to form govt

With the Congress and the JD(S) top brass finding it hard to convince the rebels MLAs, the BJP is in an upbeat mood and confident that it will form the government in Karnataka soon.

The Congress, which is struggling to save the coalition government, is worried that the future of the government is bleak as the party leaders couldn’t contact any of the rebel MLAs holed up in Goa. Senior leaders like Siddaramaiah are learnt to have informed the party top brass that the situation has gone out of control.

Top BJP leaders, who held a meeting here to discuss the state’s political developments, are also confident that the coalition government will collapse any moment and they will form the government with the help of rebels.

The saffron party has also prepared a plan for the formation of the government.

“State party chief Yeddyurappa will be the next chief minister and most of the rebel MLAs would be accommodated in the Cabinet,” a senior leader told DH.

Expressing confidence that all rebels would join the saffron party, a leader said that the party had assured BJP tickets to all rebels or their kin from contesting the bypolls in the Assembly segments which they currently represent, he said.

Though the Congress has fielded senior leader Mallikarjuna Kharge, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar to convince the rebel leaders and bring them back from Goa, it seems none of them succeeded in their efforts.

Senior Congress leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel, who held a meeting last night, discussed the counter strategy to save the government. Many leaders in the Congress were of the view that the coalition government should survive, at least till the completion of Assembly polls in three states, likely to be held in October.