Karnataka polls: BJP will form government even in case of hung Assembly, says revenue minister R Ashok

Ashok has contested from the Padmanabhanagar and Kanakapura constituencies in this election. (Photo: R Ashoka/ Twitter)

With the Assembly election results set to be declared on Saturday, Karnataka revenue minister R Ashok has said that the BJP will form the government even if it did not emerge as the single largest party. “Government formation is our objective.... Don’t ask how or what we will do. We will definitely win and get a majority. But even if it is a hung Assembly, we will form the government,” Ashok told a TV news channel on Thursday.

Reacting to Ashok’s statement, Karnataka BJP spokesperson M G Mahesh told The Indian Express that there was “no space for speculation” as the BJP would secure enough seats to secure a majority and “the situation (of a hung Assembly) will not arise”. “We will form the government. Irrespective of what the exit polls predict, we are confident of forming the government,” Mahesh added.

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The remarks by the BJP leaders come in the backdrop of most exit polls giving Congress an edge or a clear majority in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly elections and some predicting a hung House.

Ashok said he was confident that the BJP would form the government in Karnataka. “We will form the government. Even if Congress emerges as the single largest party, they will not get the majority. So for remaining MLAs, we will require help from the central government etc...,” he added.

Ashok has contested from the Padmanabhanagar and Kanakapura constituencies in this election. While Padmanabhanagar is his home turf, he is up against KPCC president D K Shivakumar at Kanakapura, the Congress leader’s bastion.

When the BJP first came to power in Karnataka during 2008-2013, Ashok and K S Eshwarappa were appointed deputy chief ministers during the last year of the government’s tenure. The six-time MLA has handled portfolios such as home, transport, and health and family affairs in the past.

“All MLAs knew that only the BJP could give a stable government. Because, as you have seen, the Cong-JD(S) government (formed in 2018) collapsed within a year,” Ashok said. This was in reference to the 2019 political crisis where 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs defected to the BJP and helped it form the government.

“What everyone feels is that there is no doubt that Narendra Modi will be elected PM again. In the same way, all elected representatives feel that only BJP can ensure a stable government in Karnataka. This will be a plus point for us,” he said.

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