Karnataka elections results: Congress leaders protest at the Vidhan Soudha
Highlights
- "India will mourn the defeat of democracy," tweets Rahul Gandhi
- Congress' opportunist offer to JD(S) is shameful, says Amit Shah
- Congress leaders protest at Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru
After a night of intense jockeying, the BJP with 105 lawmakers has come to power in Karnataka. In the next 15 days BS Yeddyurappa, who has been sworn in as the Chief Minister, will have to prove his majority. And just as Mr Yeddyurappa took his oath, Congress President Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to describe the event as mourning the "defeat of democracy"."Today the constitution is being attacked. In Karnataka on one side there are MLAs (lawmakers) standing and on the other side the Governor. JD(S) said its MLAs have been offered Rs 100 crore," Mr Gandhi said at a public meeting in Chhattisgarh.
BJP chief Amit Shah hit back at Mr Gandhi's 'Murder of Democracy' describing the party's support to JD(S) as "shameful". BJP has got the people's mandate with 104 seats while Congress' tally dropped from 122 in 2013 to 78, Mr Shah tweeted.
The Congress party has accused the Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala of encouraging horse-trading, after he invited Mr Yeddyurappa to form the government even though he did not have the numbers.
Former union minister P Chidambaram spearheaded the attack on BJP after the party put out a copy of the letter of invitation by the governor on Wednesday. In a series of tweets Mr Chidambaram questioned why the governor's letter does not mention how many lawmakers' support Mr Yeddyurappa has.
As Mr Yeddyurapa flashed a victory sign after taking the oath of office, Congress and JD(S) lawmakers left the Eagleton Resorts, where they were putting up for the last 48 hours, to hold a protest outside the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.
"The matter is pending before the Supreme Court. We will go to the people and will tell them how BJP is going against the Constitution," former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told the media.
Senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot, who have been camping in Bengaluru since the counting day, along with Siddaramaiah and other JD(U) leaders have gathered near the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the state secretariat to protest Mr Yeddyurappa's swearing-in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
In a dramatic overnight hearing, the Supreme Court observed that the way the Karnataka governor invited Mr Yeddyurappa to form the government "defies arithmetic." The top court did not put Mr Yeddyurappa's swearing-in on hold but said it would invite brazen horse trading, after the government's counsel told the court anti-defection law does not apply to lawmakers before they are sworn in. "You mean before swearing-in MLAs can switch sides?" the court asked, wondering how the BJP intended to cross the majority mark of 112.