Despite the mass resignation by the BJP ministers, the Janata Dal-Secular on Tuesday night asked Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy not to step down as the chief minister of Karnataka.
The meeting of the JDS legislature party, which went on till 2330 hours, urged the chief minister to continue in power until the issue was settled.
With the JDS refusing to budge and the BJP leaders tendering their resignation, the state has reached the brink of a constitutional crisis. Developments from here will be interesting. The questions that are being asked are: Will the JDS and BJP come to any sort of compromise? Will the JDS form the government with the Congress? Will Karnataka go in for mid-term polls?
During the meeting, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is reported to have told his legislators about his intention to resign from the post of chief minister. However, the MLAs were united in their stand and urged him not to step down. Some of the MLAs even said that he would be acting in haste if he went ahead with plans to resign.
The JDS leaders plan to meet in New Delhi on October 5 to discuss the issue. The discussions at Delhi have also given a ray of hope to the BJP who feel that the JDS is still open to the idea of handing over power.
Emerging from the party meeting, Kumaraswamy said he was upset with the manner in which the BJP legislators had tendered their resignation. Terming their actions as childish, he accused the BJP of resorting to blackmail tactics.
"Both parties will have to sit across the table and talk. This is no other way to go about it," the CM added.
Coverage: Political Crisis in Karnataka