Sunday, January 8 2006 15:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Jan 8,2006) firmly ruled out formation of an alternative government aligning with Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) in the event of fall of the Congress led coalition Government in Karnataka and asserted it preferred to go for fresh polls.

"BJP is not interest in forming a government with JDS and the party recently has taken a decision to prepare for a snap poll", its state unit president Jagadish Shettar told sources here.

Shettar setting at rest specualtions over BJP and JDS engaging in talks to explore the possibility of installing a Government termed them as 'baseless' and 'rumours' set off by JDS to mount pressure on Congress to share power in panchayats which have received fractured verdict.

"No JDS leader has spoken to us, nor BJP leader talked to the JDS leaders on government formation", he declared.

Shettar accused JDS leaders of making repeated statements on Government formation dropping BJP name.

The relations between coalition Government partners Congress and JDS has soured after the panchayat polls as the Congress was disinclined to share power with it.

JDS supremo H D Devegowda who was peeved with the Congress stand has threatened to review his parties ties with the coalition Government.

Meanwhile a JDS office bearer refusing to be quoted ruled out his party forming government with BJP support.

However, he said if a group of BJP legislators severed links with the saffron party and joined JDS, there could be a possibility of formation of a Government.

A split in BJP at this stage looked a remote possibility.

Congress high command by refusing to interfere on the issue of forging alliance in local bodies has asked its state unit leaders take decision on their own, serving a set back to Gowda, who has been insisting his coalition partner to go with his party.

Gowda has been irked by the moves by some Congress leaders who have been opposing ties with JDS at local level and opting for an alliance with All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) led by former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah.

Siddaramaiah's outfit had declared support to Congress other secular parties in the recently concluded panchayat polls to defeat JDS and BJP.