YEDURAPPA Vows To Fight Anti-Democratic Forces After Resigning As Karnataka CM Paving Way For JD-S Chief Kumaraswamy To Take Over

VOKKALIGA Leader H D Kumaraswamy, 58, will be Chief Minister of JD-S -Congress Alliance in Karnataka after B S Yeddyurappa, strongman of the Lingayat community, resigned on Saturday as his party BJP could not muster enough numbers to enable him to continue as CM of the southern State. In the May 12 assembly elections, BJP has won 104 seats compared to 40 five years ago, Congress has got 78 seats compared to 122 in the last assembly poll and JD-S headed by Kumaraswamy has only 37 law makers in the new legislative assembly. Polling in two constituencies did not take place due to various reasons. The Congress and JD(S) despite fighting   each other formed a post-poll alliance and staked claim to form the government. An emotional Yeddyurappa, 75, walked off after a speech in which he said he had failed to secure the numbers. However, he reminded the House that the mandate was not in favour of the Congress or the JD(S). They are strange bed fellows, he added. I won’t relent. I will continue to fight. I hereby resign as CM. I thank people of Karnataka,” said Yeddyurappa as he resigned from the post of Karnataka chief minister paving the way for the formation of a government led by H D Kumaraswamy, son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda .This development came after Congress released a number of audio clips wherein it alleged horse trading by BJP leaders, including Yeddyurappa. The BJP, however, rejected the charge, calling the tape the job of “mimicry artistes” and the “dirty tricks department” of the Congress.