The Congress president had repeatedly ruled out any kind of alliance with Janata Dal(Secular) and even attacked both Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy in the poll campaign
As the mood in the Congress party headquarters dampened by Tuesday afternoon, a twist in the tale was being drafted in the nearby 10-Janpath, the official residence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, where Congress President Rahul Gandhi along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had rushed in, soon after the BJP started taking early leads. The leaders who had gathered were not sure the reaction of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda , if Rahul called him.
The Congress president had repeatedly ruled out any kind of alliance with Janata Dal(Secular) and even attacked both Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy in the poll campaign. He was even hostile to a pre-poll pact. In February, Rahul called JD (S) a “B-Team, involved in an undercover arrangement with the BJP.” He along with Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, believed they were in pole position in the campaign.
Sources said that at Priyanka’s suggestion Rahul agreed to offer the chief ministership to HD Kumaraswamy despite his party winning just half of the seats. Sonia first talked to Ghulam Nabi Azad, who sent feelers to both Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy. After getting go ahead from Azad, the UPA chairperson spoke to both father and son. Insiders said the developments have once again raised question mark over Rahul’s capacity to strike deals with political leaders. They admitted that Rahul has still not acquired the kind of stature where leaders like Deve Gowda, Sharad Pawar and other opposition leaders can have confidence to accept him as the Prime Minister candidate of a grand alliance.
The party had earlier contended that if the tally was above 100, CM Siddaramaiah would prevail, and if it was below that, the party will decide the course of action. Once the call was made, the ball was in Deve Gowda’s court, who succumbed after his demands of making son Kumaraswamy was acceded to. In Bangalore, where the action was unfolding, the Congress announced that it was willing to form a government with the JD(S) and offered him the chief minister's post. The party mobilised DK Shivakumar to rope in the independent candidates and sent in state president G Parameshwara to meet the Governor; who was however turned back.
The leaders then convened in a hotel and soon after, Kumaraswamy wrote to the Governor staking claim. In the coming days, ahead of 2019 elections, party sources said that Sonia may be pressed return to politics once again despite her falling health to stitch a grand alliance. Rahul will face his another test in the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in November where other parties don’t have much support. Sonia Gandhi was keen to signal that in the interest of defeating the BJP, Congress would accept the status of a junior partner. “They hope that this messaging serves the party well as opposition leaders try to come to an arrangement to unitedly block PM Modi from getting a second term,” said a senior party leader.
Meanwhile, the Congress alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched by BJP with the help of Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, who was a minister in the Gujarat government of Narendra Modi to form government in the state despite not getting a majority.
While the apex court in the S R Bommai judgement of 1994 has called for testing the strength of parties on the floor of the House, the Rameshwar Prasad judgement of 2005, calls the Governor to invite the leader of the single largest party after the declaration of the results. The principle was used by President R. Venkataraman in 1989 and 1991 and later by President Shankar Dayal Sharma by inviting Atal Bihari Vajpayee to form government in 1996 that lasted for 13 days. The principle was, however, reversed by President K R Narayanan in 1998, when he insisted Vajapyee to prove simple majority by handing over letters of alliance partners. He again used this principle in 1999, after Vajpayee was voted out of power after losing vote of confidence. Instead of inviting Sonia Gandhi, who was leader of second largest party, he dissolved the Parliament to ensure fresh elections. Sonia Gandhi had claimed support of 272 MPs, but could not produce letter of support form the SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav
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