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Deve Gowda meets Sonia again over Karnataka

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Our Bureau Bangalore
Last Updated : Mar 18 2013 | 4:27 PM IST
A crucial meeting of the Karnataka Congress Legislature Party (CLP) will be held here tomorrow to take stock of the political situation thrown up by the hung Assembly verdict and explore the possibilities for forming a coalition government with the support of the Janata Dal (S).
 
The meeting is expected to pass resolutions, authorising Party President Sonia Gandhi to name the CLP leader and instal the Congress-led government in the state.
 
JD(S) leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda today met Gandhi in New Delhi as part of fresh efforts for installation of a non-BJP government in Karnataka.
 
However, BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu has declared that the mandate was for a non-Congress government in the state. BJP has also decided to wait and watch before finalising its strategy on the formation of the next government in Karnataka.
 
Speaking to mediapersons after presiding a crucial BJP meeting, Naidu said, "The fractured verdict in Karnataka is clearly against the Congress. Hence it has no right to form the government either on its own or with the support of another party. The Congress must accept the people's mandate and sit in the opposition. We prefer to wait for some more time as there is no clarity in the prevailing situation. Once a clear picture emerges, we will decide our next course of action."
 
BJP is yet to decide on meeting the state governor T N Chaturvedi to hold discussions on the formation of a new government. As a result of its wait and watch approach, BJP has deferred electing its leader of the assembly.
 
"We will elected the leader of the house once a clear picture emerges. As the situation is still fluid, the legislators have decided to wait for some more days before choosing the floor leader," Naidu said.
 
In the 224-state assembly, the BJP has emerged as the single largest party with 79 seats, followed by the Congress with 65 seats, the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) 58 seats, and others 22, including the BJP ally "" the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) 5 and 13 independents.
 
Stating that it is unfortunate the Congress was not ready to sit in the opposition, Naidu added that the people's verdict must be respected.

 
 

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