Beijing, May 27: Delhi Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said her party does not want to get into horse trading in Karnataka, where the BJP narrowly fell short of the magic figure for a simple majority but wooed independents to stake claim to form the government.
"Madam (Sonia) Gandhi and the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) are very clear that we do not want to get into horse trading," Dikshit told reporters here in her reaction to the
assembly election outcome in the south Indian state.
She said if the strength of the Congress and JDS, former coalition partner, were to be combined along with independents, they "come into a majority. Whoever comes into a
majority will be a very thin one. Just about a majority. But to the best of my knowledge, the congress does not want to get into horse trading". Dikshit said four of the six independents were also Congress rebels.
"If they come across to this side, we have a clear majority (after combing the strength of Congress, JDS and independents)," she said, adding Gandhi and Singh were against
horse trading.
"Let the party which has got the maximum (number of seats), first stake its claim. That is the first step," she said.
The BJP led by its chief ministerial candidate B S Yediyurappa yesterday staked the claim to form the next government on Monday.
Often taunted as a party of the cowbelt, the BJP rode on a saffron surge to secure 110 seats in the 224-member assembly in Karnataka, whereas Congress bagged 80 seats.
Bureau Report
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