Bangalore: Trying to hide his obvious disappointment, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today (May 28, 2004) asserted that he sacrificed the post of Chief Minister to the Congress keeping in mind the state's interest and to avoid another round of elections.

Sharing the view expressed by Chief Minister Dharam Singh on Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) joining hands with Congress in forming a coalition Government, Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bangalore, "Our alignment is not for the sake of power, but to check the surging growth of communal forces."

"The primary responsibility cast on both the parties is to curb the growth of communal forces and strengthening of secular forces," Siddaramaiah said, defending JD-S joining hands with the Congress even after a bitter electoral battle.

The JD-S decided to support the Congress-led coalition Government so as to not to force an immediate election on the people, which would be burden on the State's exchequer, he said.

Admitting that the new arrangement between Congress and JDS was certain throw up confusion among workers of both parties, he appealed to them to understand the inevitability of the situation and cooperate with each other in providing a good governance.

Siddaramaiah, a strong contender for the Chief Minister's post, said the coalition era has begun in the country with some states including the Centre having such model Governments and proving that they also can deliver the goods.