Congress hails Supreme Court order for early floor test in Karnataka

Bengaluru, May 18 (IANS) The Congress on Friday hailed the Supreme Court's directive to hold an early floor test in Karnataka Assembly on Saturday instead of the 15 days granted to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa by Governor Vajubhai R. Vala.

"The Supreme Court has saved democracy by advancing the floor test to Saturday from the 15 days the Governor gave to Yeddyurappa to prove that the BJP has the majority for its government to continue," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters here.

Slamming the Karnataka Governor for inviting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form government, Azad said it was surprising that the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), which together have the support of 117 legislators, were not invited instead.

In the May 12 Assembly election in 222 constituencies, the BJP won 104 seats, the Congress 78 and the JD-S 37, with the latter two forming a post-poll alliance.

As JD-S state President H.D. Kumaraswamy won from both Channapatna and Ramanagara assembly segments, the party effectively has 37 votes, including one vote from its Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ally.

Two Independents were also supporting the Congress and the JD-S, Azad claimed. "Never in the history has any Governor given two weeks time to prove majority," Azad said.

Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attacked the Governor for his "unconstitutional" decision of allowing Yeddyurappa to form the government.

"The Governor asking the BJP which has won only 104 seats to form the government shows that he has colluded with the party and its leaders," Siddaramaiah said.

The Congress leaders displayed confidence that the party's and JD-S legislators would support them during the floor test on Saturday at 4 p.m.

The apex court's decision came a day after Yeddyurappa was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the southern state.