Bengaluru, May 19 : The three-day-old BJP government in Karnataka collapsed today, minutes before the scheduled trust vote, with Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa resigning in a tame anticlimax to what promised to be on the edge of 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.
Hours later, H D Kumaraswamy, the chief ministerial candidate of the newly formed JS(S)-Congress-BSP alliance, met Governor Vajubhai Vala, and said he has been invited to form the government.
“Today, the BJP government failed to show their strength in the House. On that basis governor invited me to form the next government,” Kumaraswamy told journalists.
The 58-year-old leader, son of JD(S) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, said the governor gave him 15 days to prove his majority, but asserted “we don’t need 15 days”.
The oath ceremony, he said, will be held between noon and 1 pm on Monday.
Though Yeddyurappa kept exuding confidence about winning the trust vote, as the D-day loomed he failed to muster support of 7 additional MLAs required to ensure the longevity of his government.
