Chief minister from Modi’s BJP sworn in after legal challenge fails

NEW DELHI: A leader from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party took the oath to become chief minister of a key southern Indian state yesterday after the Supreme Court rejected a last-minute bid to block the move.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made huge gains in the Karnataka state election but fell short of a majority, sparking a scramble for power between the party and its arch rival Congress.

The Congress party, which lost sole control of the state in election, tried to stop the BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa from taking the oath as chief minister by forming a coalition with a smaller regional party.

The BJP argued that it should get the first chance to form a government as it is the largest party with 104 seats. State governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala gave the right-wing party 15 days to prove it has a majority. Congress went to the Supreme Court to block the BJP, but after a rare three-hour night-time hearing that lasted until dawn, the court said the oath ceremony should go ahead.

Lawyers for Congress, which saw its number of seats cut from 122 to 78, had told the judge bench that the party had a ready majority with the smaller Janata Dal (Secular) party which has 37 seats.

Congress and Janata Dal also claim the support of two independents and have accused the BJP of trying to bribe their lawmakers to switch sides.

Janata Dal leader HD Kumaraswamy said the BJP had offered US$15 million each to as many as 32 lawmakers. The BJP denies the claims. Yeddyurappa expressed confidence that he would get the required support for a vote of confidence that the new government would have to pass in the assembly. — AFP