JD(S)-Cong coalition teeters on the brink

The unprecedented victory for the BJP in Karnataka has pushed the ruling Janata Dal Secular (JD[S])-Congress coalition to the brink.

The coalition partners, who were frequently squabbling in public, are now unsure of the state of both the government and their future. The embarrassing loss in their own strongholds, especially in the Hyderabad-Karnataka and the Old Mysore regions, seems to have left them stunned. Even though the coalition partners entered into a pre-poll alliance before the Lok Sabha elections, it did not translate into any kind of understanding between the parties, leading to a situation where they ended up allowing the BJP to win most of the seats in the State.

Already, several leaders have started saying that the results of the Lok Sabha elections clearly indicate that the coalition is no longer effective and not good enough to last its full term. Also, what has shocked the coalition partners is that they joined hands despite serious political differences only to prevent the BJP from coming to power in Karnataka.

This strategy has been defeated, with the BJP doing exceedingly well in the Mumbai-Karnataka, Coastal, Central, Hyderabad-Karnataka, Bengaluru regions. .This is bound to make coalition parties rethink their political future.

Reacting to the poll outcome in Karnataka, BJP Karnataka President, B S Yeddyurappa, fired the first salvo and said: “JDS-Congress coalition government has lost popular support, moral right to continue in power.”

The BJP had all along predicted the formation of a BJP government post Lok Sabha election. On attempts to form an alternate government, Yeddyurappa said “I refuse to comment on the formation of an alternate government today. We will wait for two days to see what the coalition partners decide.”

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