JD(S) to join hands with Congress in Karnataka

MANDATE 2004/ New govt after govt formation at Centre

Dashing the hopes of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which emerged as the single-largest party in the Karnataka Assembly polls, the Janata Dal (Secular), which holds key to the government formation in a hung House, yesterday decided to join hands with the Congress to form a new ministry.

The Janata Dal (Secular) authorised party president and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda to hold talks with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on modalities of formation of a new government in the state and elected state party unit president Siddaramaiah as its legislature party leader.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the party's newly-elected MLAs and MPs, Gowda said the party had decided against having any link with the BJP in forming the new government as it wanted to maintain its secular credentials at any cost.

The meeting, he said, discussed whether to opt for another round of election or seek the support of secular parties in the formation of a new government in the light of a hung Assembly and decided on the latter.

The decision of the Janata Dal (Secular) has come a day after Gowda met Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders in New Delhi and discussed the issue of formation of a new government in the state.

In the fractured verdict which saw the removal of the Congress from power with 65 seats and the emergence of the BJP as the single-largest party with 79 seats, the Janata Dal (Secular)) with 58 seats has come out as the king-maker in the 224-member Assembly.

While saying that he would soon hold talks with Gandhi on installing the new government, he declined to divulge whether the coalition would be led by his party or the Congress.

Gowda said the new government would fight for the cause of farmers, the minorities and the downtrodden.

He said with the voters giving a verdict resulting in a hung Assembly, the party discussed the prevailing political situation and resolved to convert it into an "opportunity by accepting the challenge".

The Janata Dal (Secular) had decided to maintain its identity and secular character and did not want to shirk his responsibility, Gowda said and added the issue of going to polls immediately also came up for debate.

Gowda indicated the process of forming a government was expected to take time, as the Congress was busy at the Centre where the party led-coalition government would be installed.

Earlier during the day, the Janata Dal (United) offered to talk to the the Janata Dal (Secular) to try to persuade it to join forces with the BJP to form a non-Congress government in the state.