K'taka crisis: Assembly meet likely on Oct 18

 A majority of BJP legislators in Karnataka today favoured the party withdrawing support to the JD(S)-led coalition government as they see little chance of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy transferring power to the party.

At a meeting of the ministers representing BJP in the coalition government and party legislators, chaired by Yediyurappa, a majority of them pushed for pulling out of the government and facing mid-term polls, a senior leader told PTI on condition of anonymity.

 As the ministers and legislators expressed displeasure over the charges levelled by JD(S) against the party to "cover up" its failure on power transfer, Yediyurappa and other senior leaders pacified them and chose to wait till tomorrow for the outcome of the dialogue between BJP President Rajnath Singh and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda.

Assailing the "excuses" being cited by JD(S) leaders on power transfer and taking a swipe at them, Yediyurappa said: "I am also a son of the soil. I am a firm believer in the preaching of Basaveswara and do not know the art of cheating. I do what I say."