Monday, December 26 2005 16:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh today (Dec 26, 2005) remained non-committal on the possibility of the Congress, now sharing power with Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), seeking a fresh mandate if it did well in the Zilla and Taluk Panchayat polls held this month.

Asserting that the ground situation was very much in favour of the Congress in the Panchayat polls, Singh told reporters here that any decision on the assembly elections would have to be taken by the party President Sonia Gandhi.

"Next year, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal are going to polls. This is the only coalition government. Sonia Gandhi to prevent certain forces, we have come together. (However) securing majority (on our own). Sonia Gandhi will take a decision. We will abide by that decision", he said.

Singh said the people's 'enthusiasm' for the Congress was clearly evident during the polls and dismissed the talk about his party have entered into a clandestine pact with JDS.

He said both the Congress and JDS had not crossed the 'Lakshman Rekha' in the campaign for the elections to Panchayat Raj bodies, which was held in two phases.

The counting of votes would be taken up tomorrow. Both the Congress and JDS had fought the elections bitterly in the first acid test of their strength at the grassroot level after the assembly elections.

Singh said he would expand the ministry but declined to specify any timeframe. He, however, added that heads of various state-owned boards and corporations, an issue that has agitated the JDS, would be appointed shortly. He said the state cabinet at its meeting on December 31 would take a decision on convening the state legislature session.