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Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday announced that he would be taking oath as Karnataka chief minister on Monday afternoon. “The governor has invited me to form the government. The oath ceremony (as Chief Minister) will be held on Monday between 12 noon-1 pm,” Kumaraswamy told reporters after meeting Governor Vajubhai Rahubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru.
The 58-year-old leader, son of JD(S) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, also stated that the Governor had given him 15 days to prove that he had the majority in the 224-member legislative assembly, whose strength is currently 222. “I have decided to form the JD-S-Congress government on May 21 by taking oath at 11 a.m. in the Kanteerva stadium,” Kumaraswamy, the former Chief Minister, said
He also extended gratitude to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and regional leaders for their support. “West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana CM KC Rao congratulated me. Mayawati ji has also blessed me. I have invited all regional leaders for the oath ceremony. I’ve also invited Sonia Gandhi ji and Rahul Gandhi ji personally,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the three-day-old BJP government in Karnataka collapsed, minutes before the scheduled trust vote, with Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa resigning in a tame anti-climax to what promised to be an edge of the seat political thriller.
With defeat staring him in the face, Yeddyurappa announced his decision to quit on the floor of the Assembly after a brief emotion-laden speech. Though exuding confidence about winning the trust vote as the D-day loomed, Yeddyurappa failed to muster the support of seven additional MLAs required to ensure the longevity of his government.
READ | Before floor test, BS Yeddyurappa resigns as Karnataka Chief Minister
The Lingayat stalwart also targeted the Congress-JDS post-poll alliance and termed it as “unholy”. “Those who were swearing on the names of each other’s fathers and calling each other names before polls, have now come together to form this unholy alliance,” he said.
“If only people would have given us 113 seats instead of 104, we would have made this state a paradise,” he said. He also assured that BJP will win 28 out of 28 seats in Lok Sabha in the 2019 general assembly elections.
READ | Yeddyurappa’s top quotes in Assembly
After delivering his speech in Vidhan Soudha, Yeddyurappa handed over his resignation to Governor Vala. Yeddyurappa’s three-day tenure as the chief minister of Karnataka also turned out to be one of the shortest in Indian history and he joined former UP CM Jagdambika Pal as the shortest serving chief minister in the nation.
READ | BS Yeddyurappa resigns as Karnataka CM, joins Jagdambika Pal as shortest-serving chief minister
The 75-year-old BJP leader was sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka on May 17. The BJP veteran’s initiation to the league of chief ministers with tenures of a few days, however, happened over a decade ago. In 2007, Yeddyurappa had to resign as the chief minister of Karnataka after just eight days.
On Wednesday, May 16 evening, Governor Vala invited BJP’s Yeddyurappa to form the government, giving him 15 days to prove majority in the hung Assembly.
The May 12 Assembly poll had given a fractured mandate in which BJP got 104 seats, Congress 78 and the JD(S) 37 in the 224 member House. Polling in two constituencies did not take place due to various reasons. The Congress and JD(S) formed a post-poll alliance and staked claim to form the government.
