Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, May 26: Even though the state coalition partners Congress and JD(S) put up a united front after the massive defeat in the Lok Sabha elections and insisted that the state government was in no danger, two Congress legislators reportedly met BJP leader S M Krishna on Sunday May 26.

Congress MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi and Sudhakar S M Krishna at his residence, said reports.

According to reports, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa was also present in the meeting.

While Congress and JD(S) managed to win only one seat each in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha elections, BJP bagged 25 out of 28 seats in the state. One seat was won by Independent candidate Sumalatha who is backed by the BJP.

However, Ramesh Jarkiholi, who is the Congress MLA from Gokak, said that the meeting with S M Krishna was only a 'courtesy call' to wish him on BJP's performance in the Lok Sabha elections. He clarified that there was no political angle to the meeting.

"It was not a political meeting. We wanted to wish S M Krishna after BJP won 25 seats in Karnataka. It was a courtesy call," Jarkiholi said.

BJP leader R Ashok also said that he had no knowledge of the meeting, even though reports said that he was present in the meeting. "I came to meet S M Krishna to discuss party matters. I have no friendship with Congress leaders Ramesh Jarkiholi and Sudhakar," he said.

Meanwhile, JD(S) working president M S Narayan Rao issued a circular to party leaders, spokespersons, and MLAs asking them to not participate in TV debates or give any statements to the media.

Despite reports about the coalition government being on a sticky wicket concerning its future, especially after the poll debacle, Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and deputy chief minister G Parameshwara on Friday May 24 brushed aside reports of trouble in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, saying that the government was 'safe and stable' to continue in office.

At the same time, BJP leaders like Yeddyurappa and Umesh Jadhav have given statements in the media about the possibility of at least 20 Congress MLAs joining the BJP in the near future. While Yeddyurappa had gone to the extent of saying that there was an 'atmosphere' in Karnataka for the BJP to form government, party leader R Ashok demanded CM Kumaraswamy's resignation on the day of the poll results. Allegations and denials about luring MLAs have flown back and forth between the coalition parties and the BJP for the past few months.