HD Kumaraswamy to take oath as Karnataka chief minister on May 23

With the fall of BJP's three-day-old government in Karnataka, H D Kumaraswamy heading the Congress-JDS coalition is set to become the chief minister for a second time on May 23.

Governor Vajubhai Vala today invited Kumaraswamy, who is the leader of Congress-JD(S) joint legislature party, to form the government.

"On the invitation of the Governor I have met him on the basis of the request we had submitted on May 15 for the formation of Congress-JD(S) coalition government....he has invited us to form the government," Kumaraswamy, who is also state JD(S) chief, said.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Vala, he said the Governor has directed him to prove the majority on the floor of the House in 15 days but he would do it much before.

The BJP was eight short of the majority mark in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly. 

Following 72 hours of high drama, which involved a midnight session at the Supreme Court, leaked audio tapes, and hidden lawmakers, the BJP failed to secure eight MLAs that it needed to pass the floor test in the House.

BJP had won the first round of the legal battle after the results were out on May 15 but failed to gather the support of MLAs to prove majority in the Karnataka state Assembly.

Will invite Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi to attend swearing-in ceremony, says HD Kumaraswamy

"I want to thank Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad and other Congress leaders and MLAs for their support. I want to thank everyone, people of Karnataka, Mayawati ji for their support, Kumaraswamy said. "I will invite Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi ji personally to attend the oath-taking ceremony," says Kumaraswamy. "We will call a session soon to prove our majority," he said.

Akhilesh Yadav demands central govt's resignation on moral grounds

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has termed the collapse of the three-day-old B S Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka a "victory of the people's mandate" and asked the central government to resign on moral grounds.

"Today, the people's mandate has prevailed over money power," Yadav wrote on Twitter in Hindi. "Those who thought they could buy everyone have learnt the lesson that there are still people left who don't consider politics a business," he tweeted.

"The central government should also resign on moral grounds," he added.