Pre-poll tie-up would have helped: Mamata

The Congress-JD(S) combine has more than 50% of the vote share and also a majority in the Assembly.

The other opposition parties have said the Karnataka governor should follow the rule book to ensure that the majority alliance is called to form the government.

CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said he expects the Governor to uphold the honour of the constitutional office.

“Same ‘rules’ followed when State governments 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 and must be called to form the government and take the floor test in Karnataka,” Mr. Yechury said.

Qouting BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s tweet from last year Mr Yechury added that governors appointed by the BJP government had not invited the single largest party in Goa in 2017 where the Congress got 17 out of 40 seats, nor in Manipur where the Congress got 28 seats in a 60 seat assembly nor in Meghalaya this year where the party got 21 out of 60 seats. “Union Ministers gave arguments supporting them. The precedent is there to follow, right?” Mr Yechury added.