Karnataka BJP MPs to call on president

A delegation of BJP MPs from Karnataka is scheduled to call on President Pratibha Patil tomorrow to request her to take action to invite party leader BS Yeddyurappa to form a government with the support of the BJP.

"We are leaving for Delhi and will call on the president," said BJP state unit President DV Sadananda. He said there was no proposal to parade BJP-JD(S) MLAs before the president in New Delhi.

Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur told a BJP delegation that he would send a report to Patil in a day or two, Yeddyurappa said today.

After the meeting with the governor, Yeddyurappa, who was accompanied by Gowda, said the governor expressed "satisfaction" over the parade of 129 BJP and JD(S) MLAs before him yesterday. Yeddyurappa said he was satisfied by the governor's response.

Asked if the governor would invite him to form the government, he said: "We are hopeful".

Yeddyurappa said the state-wide protest planned by the BJP tomorrow to press its case for forming a government with the JD(S) would go on as planned.