Invite to BJP will set off camp politics

Invite to BJP will set off camp politics
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Highlights

The race to cook political bisibellabath has begun in Karnataka. All top commanders of the two national parties, the BJP and the Congress, have descended on Bengaluru. Each one is trying to work on his own ingredients to generate and spread the aroma of political bisibellabath.  

The race to cook political bisibellabath has begun in Karnataka. All top commanders of the two national parties, the BJP and the Congress, have descended on Bengaluru. Each one is trying to work on his own ingredients to generate and spread the aroma of political bisibellabath.

Whether the BJP would be in a position to form the government in Karnataka or not now depends on the post-poll logarithms. With the Congress trying to salvage some prestige and ground in the bitterly fought election under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, by extending an olive branch to the JD(S), there is a chance of a non-BJP formation ruling Karnataka once again.

If the BJP forms the government with the help of a few defections, these very same parties would accuse it of resorting to horse-trading which, of course, is not new to either national party. The BJP in its enthusiasm to show that it was leading the political juggernaut had done this soon after the recent assembly elections including Goa. So, trading is inevitable in both scenarios. After all, what is good for the goose is so for the gander too! It is 'either way' game.

There are arguments that the Governor is bound by the Constitution to invite the largest party to form the government. But this argument does not hold water. K R Narayanan as the President of India had to face a tricky situation in 1996 to appoint the Prime Minister. At that time, he said that the competence of the Prime Ministerial claimant had to be judged by whether or not the person enjoyed the confidence of the House. Thus, he set a new precedent whereby it became mandatory for a person staking a claim to the Prime Minister's office to produce letters of support from alliance partners.

So, in this case, too, the Raj Bhavan or its incumbent, if he has a strong will, can simplify the situation and invite the Congress-JDS combine if he is satisfied that they enjoy the confidence of the House. If that happens, the Congress high command may tout it as a master stroke of Rahul Gandhi. In Goa, the Congress leadership was caught napping and could not get its arithmetic right and the BJP grabbed the opportunity. Now, the Congress is planning to do a Modi in Karnataka. But, at the same time, the prowess of Amit Shah-Modi combine cannot be underestimated.

If the Governor invites Yeddyurappa to form government and gives him time to prove his majority, Karnataka is bound to witness massive horse trading. Already a mind game has begun, saying that there is a split in JD(S) and that Revanna, the brother of H D Kumaraswamy, has agreed to split JD(S) and join the BJP with 12 of his followers and that Revanna would become the Deputy Chief Minister.

But Kumaraswamy group contests this claim. Notwithstanding the claims and counter claims of BJP and Congress, the fact remains that people of Karnataka have told both the parties that they do not trust either of them fully.

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