Bengaluru: Shaken by the rout of the ruling Congress-JDS combine in the Lok Sabha polls in which it could win only two of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy offered to resign at a state cabinet meeting on Friday but the cabinet reposed full faith in his leadership and expressed confidence that the Congress-JD(S) government would complete its full term of five years.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Deputy CM Dr G Parameshwar said: "The Lok Sabha election verdict will not affect our state government in any way. We have an elected majority in the Assembly and all of us have reaffirmed our commitment to the coalition.
Thursday's results are a national-level mandate and not against the coalition government", he asserted amid conflicting reports that some leaders in the coalition were pressing for dissolution of the House and fresh polls.
If sources are to be believed, the CM was very much upset with the shocking defeat of his father and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda in Tumakuru and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in Mandya with many blaming this on the lack of support of the coalition partner, Congress in both constituencies.
With senior Congress ministers including Home Minister M.B. Patil, Revenue Minister R.V. Deshpande and Major Industries Minister K.J. George prevailing on the CM not to take such a drastic step and promising to find the reasons for the defeat of Deve Gowda and Nikhil in Tumakuru and Mandya respectively, Mr Kumaraswamy has relented for now, said sources.
It is also learnt that Congress leaders dialled their national president Rahul Gandhi to inform him about Mr Kumaraswamy's intentions to quit the CM post. Mr Gandhi reportedly not only extended full support from his party to the CM but also advised him to continue for the next four years.
