Amid Karnataka election drama, Modi speaks to Deve Gowda

Yeddyurappa is yet to prove a majority in the Karnataka Assembly, and the Congress and JD-S have alleged that the BJP is trying to poach their newly elected lawmakers, as it has fallen short of eight seats to the 112 halfway mark in the lower House.

Janata Dal (Secular) national president, H.D. Deve Gowda (C), speaks with Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad (L) as they stage a dharna in front of the Gandhi Statue against the Karnataka Governor's order to invite Bharatiya Janatha Party Legislative Party (BJPLP) Leader, B.S. Yediyurappa, to take oath as the new Chief Minister of the state in Bangalore on May 17, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Manjunath KIRAN

New Delhi” A day after BJP's B.S. Yeddyurappa took oath as Karnataka Chief Minister dashing the hopes of JD-S-Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he spoke to Janata Dal-Secular supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and wished him on his birthday. "Spoke to our former Prime Minister Shri H.D. Deve Gowdaji and conveyed birthday wishes to him. I pray for his good health and long life," Modi said in a tweet.

Spoke to our former Prime Minister Shri HD Deve Gowda Ji and conveyed birthday wishes to him. I pray for his good health and long life.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 18, 2018

Yeddyurappa is yet to prove a majority in the Karnataka Assembly, and the Congress and JD-S have alleged that the BJP is trying to poach their newly elected lawmakers, as it has fallen short of eight seats to the 112 halfway mark in the lower House. The JD-S had won 38 seats along with its ally BSP, while the Congress won 78 seats, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party winning 104 seats in the May 12 assembly election.

I would like to wish Shri HD Deve Gowda ji a very happy birthday and pray for his good health and happiness.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 18, 2018

The Congress-JD-S stitching up a hasty post-poll alliance approached the Governor on Tuesday to form the government, as also did the BJP. But Governor Vajubhai Valla invited Yeddyurappa to form the government and prove within 15 days that he had majority in the legislative assembly.