Nataka never stops in Karnataka

It’s a godsend that there is Nataka already spelt out in Karnataka. For sheer poll drama there has never been anything like this WhatsApp-twitter election of 2018. As millions of tweets poured in, it became clear that the Governor of Karnataka had chosen the more difficult course. Save for a clear cut case like Punjab, which BJP Governor post 214 has called anyone to form the government except BJP or a BJP-led coalition?

The fuming tweets were more than those with a Bhakt twist in supporting the other option. An Internet joke said it best — ‘Why is horse trading allowed? So that a stable government is formed’. The irony is more in this case as the search goes on for stability in the numbers game. Of course, the ambitious JD(S), with a track record of reneging on power sharing agreements with the Congress and the BJP, may have been only likely to come down from its own internal contradictions of being the third horse in the winner’s circle.

The RSS may have been right in its view that the combine should have been given the first chance to self destruct. The top court rightly decided to bring forward the floor test to counter some of the Governor’s ‘discretion’. Indian political history has been pockmarked with biased choices, beginning with the most liberal PM, Jawaharlal Nehru bringing down EMS Namboodripad regime in Kerala in 1959 just because he may have believed it is better “to be dead than red”. The nataka has not stopped since then.

Priyanka Chaturvedi @priyankac19
New democratic standards by encountering the constitution.
Latest formula by the governor to get BJP a majority
It may be immoral, unethical, unconstitutional, but when did Amit Shah-Modi's BJP ever have any consideration for that? #KarnatakaVerdict

Rohini Swamy @Rohini_Swamy
Manager of Eagleton resort going to meet the governor to claim an invitation to form the government as he got 116 MLA's with him #KarnatakaVerdict

Jaiveer Shergill @Jaiveer Shergill
Can @sidaramiah the son of a cattle grazer stop @narendramodi in the South? I write for @washingtonpost on #KarnatakaElection2018 & why I think whoever wins; Siddaramaiah is an intriguing case study of a Subaltern, Non-Elite Liberal

Dhruv Rathee@dhruv
Newly Elected MLAs in #Karnataka - 99% of all Congress MLAs are crorepatis 98% of all BJP MLAs are crorepatis 95% of all JDS MLAs are crorepatis Now you know why bidding starts from 100 crores minimum

Abhishek Singhvi @DrAMSinghvi
Ever heard of 15days 2prove majority 2 a 104 MLA strength party when opposers
gave lists totalling 116! Sc reduced floor test duration in Jagdambika pal UP case; anil jha Jharkhand case & kevalker Goa case from 7days to 48 hrs in each case. No reason for SC 2differ this time

barkha dutt@BDUTT
Only PM #Modi can have a cabinet full of scam tainted ministers, share stage with the family that looted Rs 35,000 cr from #Karnataka, project an ex-jailbird as CM, & then still keep a straight face whiletalking about Anti-Corruption! #NijaHeliModi #KarnatakaElectio2018.

Hurrah for the Supreme Court. By ordering floor test in #Karnataka tomorrow shrinks window for any sordid deal making; but does not legally over reach on the Governor's decision. Now up to Congress and JDS to hold their men and women together. #KarnatakaVerdict

Sitaram Yechury@SitaramYechury
Same 'rules' followed when state govts were formed in Goa, Manipur and Bihar recently, must be followed now. Sauce for the goose must be sauce for the gander! JD(S)-Congress are together, past the majority mark & must be called to form the govt and take the floor test #Karnataka

Aarti Tikoo Singh @AartiTikoo
Just till yesterday, pseudo-liberal intelligentsia was questioning the credibility of the SC under CJI Dipak Misra. Many backed the impeachment motion against him. Today, all is well with the Indian judiciary after the Karnataka verdict! #SchizophrenicPolitics

T S Sudhir @Iamtssudhir
Basically #Yeddyurappa has got a RAC ticket to board the government train. He needs to get it confirmed in the next 24 hours. What do Indians usually do to get that done? #KarnatakaVerdict

Pradip Bhandari@pradip103
My simple question: If Congress and JDS are finding it extremely difficult to keep the flock together for 3 days, can they assure people of #Karnataka 2 provide stability for 5 years? #FloorTest #FloorTestTomorrow