Congress says alliance has majority, gov is optionless

New Delhi: After the Karnataka verdict, the Congress asserted that governor Vajubhai Vala has no other option than to invite the JD (S)-Congress combine which has a “clear majority” to form the government in the state. Addressing a press conference in Delhi, the Congress communications chief, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, cited “precedents” to emphasise that the post-poll coalition of his party and JD (S) must be given the opportunity to form the government.

He said, “We expect Karnataka governor to invite JD(S)-Cong coalition which has a clear majority to form government in the state. As per constitutional and legal provisions, the governor has no other option than to invite the coalition.”

He added that the Congress-JD (S) coalition has 115 seats and the halfway mark is 112.

The Congress cited a Supreme Court judgement in the Goa case where the BJP was not the single largest party, but it formed the government. He also cited the instance of Atal Behari Vajpayee who was invited to form a government by the then President KR Narayanan, noting the guiding principle behind it was that a party or a combination of parties that has won the largest number of seats be invited.

Rejecting the BJP’s charge that it was trying to come to power through the backdoor, the party also cited the cases of Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya, where the Congress could not form government despite emerging as the largest party.

Meanwhile, CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also came to the support of the alliance. Citing instances, Mr Yechury tweeted: “Same rules that were followed when state governments were formed in Goa, Manipur and Bihar recently should be followed.”