With Karnataka Headed for a Hung House, Congress is Wary of What Happened in Manipur and Goa

New Delhi: The election results in Karnataka have thrown up a hung Assembly as both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can claim to form the government with support from the JD(S). However, at the center of all this is the man who might be the one to take a call on which party can form the government: Vajubhai Vala, the Governor of Karnataka.

As per the election results at the time of filing this report, there are two possible scenarios: a) BJP can form a government with JD(S) and B. S. Yeddyurappa becomes the chief minister of the state, or b) Congress forms a government with the JD(S) and H. D. Kumaraswamy becomes the chief minister.

The BJP is currently ahead in 104 seats, followed by the Congress at 78 and JD(S) at 38.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has already asked senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to speak to the JD(S) about her party's willingness to crown H. D. Kumaraswamy as the chief minister of Karnataka.

However, only the Governor of Karnataka can take a call on whether to ask the BJP to form the government, as the party has emerged as the single largest party in the state. The Governor can also take a call on whether to ask JD(S) and Congress to come together to form a government under an alliance.

This won’t be the first time a Governor of the state will take the crucial call on the government formation in an Indian state.

In March 2017, Manipur Governor Najma Heptullah invited the BJP to form government in the state, despite Congress emerging as the largest party in the state after the Assembly elections.

Congress had won 28 seats (35.1% share of the electorate) in the 60-member Manipur assembly; the BJP got victory in 21 seats (36.2% of the vote share). But, it was BJP which was formed the government in the state.

Similar scenes were witnessed in Goa as well.

In the same year, the BJP under Manohar Parrikar cobbled up an alliance comprising some local parties and Independents to install its government, even though the saffron party had won 13 seats against the Congress’ tally of 17 in the elections held for the 40-member House.

The Parrikar government proved its majority on floor of the Assembly on March 14 with the support of 13 MLAs of BJP, and three legislators each of Maharashtravadi Gomantak Paksha (MGP), the Goa Forward Party (GFP), besides three independents.

After the formation of the government in Goa, Goa Governor, Mridula Sinha, had confessed to having called Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before inviting the BJP to form the government in the coastal Indian state.

Sinha, a former member of BJP’s national executive, had come under severe criticism from Congress, which blamed her for not inviting the party that had emerged as the single largest entity post Assembly elections.

However, one such incident is contrary to what happened in Goa and Manipur last year. In 1967, the then Rajasthan Governor, Sampurnanand, refused to accept independents supporting a claim because they did not belong to a political party.