BJP confident of forming government in Karnataka

New York, May 16

Bharatiya Janata Party national vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe says that he is confident that Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala will respect the party's position as the single largest one and invite it to form the government.

"I am sure being the single largest party we have the rightful democratic claim on forming the government and the Governor is definitely going to respect the claim," he told IANS here on Tuesday.

The May 12 state elections produced a deadlock with the BJP winning 104 seats, just short of the 113 needed for a majority in the 224-member Assembly.

"The Karnataka election results are pretty much on expected lines," he said. "Of course it would have been better had we progressed a little further and gone up to the absolute majority." The BJP, which had won only 40 seats in the 2013 elections, has more than doubled its strength.

Sahasrabuddhe, who is on a visit here, said the "credible leadership" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the performance of the BJP government at the Centre were the factors behind the party's performance in the state.

He added, "And the leadership also definitely worked overtime to ensure victory. The organisation was well-oiled and everybody worked together forgetting the differences within various groups." The Congress Party's seats dwindled from 122 in the last election to 40 now, while the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) won 38 seats this time, marginally down from 40 in 2013.

The Congress Party has offered to support the JD-S, which has also asserted a claim to form the next government.

IANS