Bangalore: The newly-elected Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in Karnataka N Dharam Singh today (May 25, 2004) said the Congress-Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) coalition Government would be in place by May 27.

Singh, who has been widely tipped as the Chief Ministerial candidate to head the Congress-led coalition Ministry in the State, during an informal chat with the press defended the decision of the party to form the Government with JD-S support to "keep communal forces from coming to power".

Elections 2004
Political Parties in India

"We are not getting together for the sake of power, but to prevent communal forces from forming the Government," he said apparently referring to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has emerged as the single largest party.

Singh, candidly admitted that though Karnataka was the Congress bastion, the party did not get clear mandate from people in the just-concluded elections.

Singh, an eighth-time legislator from Jewargi and a prominent leader of the North Karnataka region, said he never lobbied for the Chief Minister's post and he was a choice of the Congress president, while referring to his election as CLP leader yesterday in the midst of a keen contest among leaders.

"Sonia Gandhi has given me the responsibility. I will come up to her expectation in performing well," he said.

On being queried whether there was clarity on who would lead the proposed coalition Government, Singh said, the issue was discussed by top leaders of the party including Deshmukh, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and others soon after the results were announced and the decision that emerged was it should be headed by Congress.