Karnataka Polls: JDS Decision On Whom To Form Govt With Made, Says Tanveer Ahmed

Tanveer Ahmed has said the JD(S) has decided which party it will form the government with, a day before the results of the Karnataka Polls.

With a day left for the results to be declared in the high-stakes Karnataka Assembly Election, Tanveer Ahmed has said the Janata Dal (Secular) has decided with whom it will form the government and will announce it when the time comes. The remark indicates the possibility of a hung assembly in the state with neither the BJP nor the Congress getting a clear majority after days of high-octane campaigning. However, state party chief CM Ibrahim has distance himself from the comment and said no such decision has been taken. The counting of votes polled for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls, which witnessed a fierce fight between archrivals BJP and the Congress, besides the JD(S) will be taken up on Saturday as the parties are waiting with bated breath to know their fate over the possibility of a hung assembly.

JD(S) national spokesperson Tanveer Ahmed said, "We have already decided with whom we are going to form the government. We will announce it to the public when the appropriate time comes."

The electoral fortunes of top leaders-- Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of the BJP, Congress heavyweights Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar and JD(S)' HD Kumaraswamy, among many others will be known on Saturday.

The counting will begin at 8 am in 36 centres across the state, and poll officials expect a clear picture about the outcome is likely to emerge by mid-day.

The State registered a "record" turnout of 73.19 per cent in the voting on May 10, to elect representatives to the 224-member Assembly.

With most exit polls predicting a tight contest between the Congress and BJP, leaders of the two parties seem "jittery" over the outcome, while the JD(S) appears to be expecting a hung verdict, which would enable it to play a role in government formation. Most pollsters have given an edge to the Congress over the ruling BJP, while also indicating the possibility of a hung Assembly in the state.

Having banked on the Modi juggernaut, the ruling BJP is looking to break a 38-year-old poll jinx where the people have never voted the incumbent party to power, while the Congress is hoping for a morale booster victory to give it a much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

It also remains to be seen whether former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) will emerge as a "kingmaker" or a "king" by holding the key to government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.

Like it has been the trend for about the last two decades, Karnataka witnessed a three-cornered contest, with a direct fight between the said parties in most of the constituencies.