B S Yeddyurappa's battle continues as Congress dares Modi to prove majority

Newly sworn-in Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa at the oath ceremony in Bengaluru, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

Amid high political drama, the Supreme Court early on Thursday didn't stop B S Yeddyurappa from taking oath as Karnataka's new chief minister but the legal battle for the BJP leader and his party is far from over.

After a rare midnight hearing that ran for hours, the court refused to stay the oath taking ceremony as was sought in a joint petition by the Congress and the JD(S). "In case he is given oath in the meantime, that shall be subject to further orders of this court and final outcome of the writ petition (by the Congress and JD-S)," said the three-judge bench, recording the proceedings of the night in the packed Room No. 6. Presiding the proceedings were Justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan.

Yeddyruppa took oath as planned but on Friday at 10.30 am. When the apex court hears the matter again, he will have to produce the two letters dated May 15 and 16 he has written to Governor Vajubhai Vala to stake his claim for government formation. The BJP leader is said to have claimed a majority support in the letters. But the question is how?

The Congress and JD(S) had challenged Karnataka Governor Vala's invitation to Yeddyurappa to form the government despite the BJP falling short of legislative numbers to claim majority in the 222-member Assembly.

The BJP won 104, the Congress 78 and the JD(S) 37. The Congress and JD(S) didn't have a pre-poll alliance but cobbled together a grouping after the results threw a hung Assembly.