Thursday, January 19 2006 16:24 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Congress high command today (Jan 19, 2006) expressed the hope that it would succeed in 'saving' the beleaguered Dharam Singh Government in Karnataka as the Chief Minister was asked by the Governor to prove his majority by January 27.

"We are hopeful that we will be able to save the Government," senior Congress leader A K Antony, who is in charge of party affairs, told reporters after the party's Core Group meeting attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Antony said that no decision was taken at today's meeting which was called to review the political situation in the state.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and are in touch with local colleagues, including Chief Minister and PCC Chief," he said, dismissing as 'speculative' reports that the Congress has offered support to rebel JDS to form the Government.

The Dharam Singh Government was thrown into a crisis in the wake of a revolt by a section of JDS MLAs led by H D Kumaraswamy, son of H D Deve Gowda, who withdrew support to the Government, aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and jointly staked claim to form an alternative Government.