HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday
Janata Dal-Secular's HD Kumaraswamy has sent a wave of cheer among the anti-BJP parties, giving them hope of victory against the party, which has taken over the country with an unprecedented speed. After BS Yeddyurappa's resignation due to lack of MLAs in Karnataka Assembly, the Janata Dal-Secular leader was flooded with congratulatory messages.
Here's who said what after Congress-JD(S) victory in Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018:
TMC
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee termed the dramatic collapse of the three-day-old BJP government in Karnataka a "victory of the regional front".
Banerjee congratulated Gowda, Kumaraswamy and the Congress after Yeddyurappa resigned as chief minister of the southern state without facing the floor test. "Democracy wins. Congratulations Karnataka. Congratulations Deve Gowda Ji, Kumaraswamy Ji, Congress and others. Victory of the 'regional' front," she tweeted.
"I just spoke with Kumaraswamy and congratulated him. He invited me for the oath-taking ceremony on Monday," an elated Banerjee wrote on Twitter.
Also read | Facing defeat, Yeddyurappa quits as CM without trust vote; Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony on May 23
NCP
NCP's Sharad Pawar hailed the Congress-JD(S) victory and said that Karnakata Governor Vajubhai Vala should resign as his actions have damaged democracy.
"I congratulate Congress and JD(S) MLAs for not falling prey to allurements. The BJP should not have made haste to make Yeddyurappa chief minister when it did not have a (clear) majority," Pawar told reporters in Mumbai.
BJP's decision to make Yeddyurappa chief minister was a "blow to democracy", he said. "The governor of Karnataka should keep the prestige of his post intact. He, too, has dealt a blow to the democracy, and therefore he should resign," he said.
Also read | Unholy alliance in Karnataka won't last long, says BJP chief Amit Shah
Shiv Sena
Once an ally of BJP in Maharashtra and Centre, Shiv Sena also came out in support of Kumaraswamy. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said Yeddyurappa's resignation is the start of the end of "dictatorship and high-handedness", apparently referring to the BJP's efforts to manage enough support from the newly-elected MLAs ahead of the trust vote.
"What happened in Karnataka was against democracy. It's the end of a perverted mindset which believed that elections can be won and governments can be formed by any means," Raut said.
DMK
Congress' old ally DMK said that actions of the Supreme Court saved the democracy. "...May this herald the coming together of secular parties for the upcoming elections," DMK working president MK Stalin said in a tweet.
"Democracy in Karnataka has been saved by the actions of the Supreme Court. I extend my congratulations to @hd_kumaraswamy and @INCIndia..." he said.
Makkal Needhi Maiam
Apparently taking a dig at the BJP, actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan said "let the light of democracy that has come up in Karnataka spread through out the nation."
RJD
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav also took to Twitter soon after Yeddyurappa announced his decision to resign as the Karnataka chief minister.
"Truth can never be defeated! Truth will always defeat a lie or liar! #KarnatakaFloorTest," the younger son of party chief Lalu Prasad wrote on the microblogging website.
From day 1, political pundits termed Karnataka Elections 2018 as the precursor for the bigger battle a year on. WIth the scale of the post-poll drama witnessed after the elections, it seems India is set for a bumpy ride.
(With inputs from PTI)
Also read | We can’t refuse if MLAs from other parties come forward and offer us support, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Aap Ki Adalat
