After Mid-Term Poll Warning, Deve Gowda Takes U-turn on Karnataka Coalition after Congress Prompt

New Delhi: In a surprising admission, Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda on Friday said that mid-term Assembly poll in the state are imminent as he is uncertain about how long the coalition government would last.

"I am not sure how long the coalition government will last. Going by the developments, in the past two months, mid-terms polls seem imminent. People will watch all the developments," he told reporters in Bengaluru.

Gowda also criticised Congress for blaming JD(S) over the dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Hitting out at Siddaramaiah, he claimed that several of the Congress senior leader's close associates had left him.

Congress's state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao, however, that there is no question of mid-term polls as the government is stable despite "efforts of BJP".

"I am sure that Deve Gowda will clarify on his part. We have given our unconditional support to JD(S). Our government will complete its term," he told CNN News18.

Following Congress's response on the issue, Gowda issued a clarification saying that the mid-term election are not in his hands. "As long as Congress will be strong, we will be strong," he said.

Gowda's statement comes just two days after his son Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that he is "in pain" every day but has the responsibility of running the government smoothly.

The Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka has been in deep waters since February as news emerged of the BJP, which holds the highest number of seats in the state Assembly, allegedly indulging in horse-trading.

The saffron party received a boost from the Lok Sabha results that were declared on May 23, which saw the BJP make a near clean sweep.

Following this, in an attempt to placate disgruntled lawmakers, the Kumaraswamy government decided to expand the cabinet, inducting two independents.

The two independent MLAs, R Shankar and H Nagesh, were inducted into the Ministry overlooking the claims of several senior leaders, particularly in the Congress, who are sulking ever since they failed to make it to the ministry earlier.