BANGALORE: The chief minister of a key Indian state plunged into a political crisis that saw Supreme Court hearings and accusations of bribery quit on Saturday after admitting he did not have enough support to form a government.

B. S. Yeddyurappa of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stepped down after just two days in the post and minutes before he was to have faced a vote of confidence in the Karnataka state assembly.

His move ended a week of mounting acrimony between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP and the opposition Congress party. Congress, which had ruled the southern state until an election last week, will now get a new chance to form a government with a regional ally.

The battle could set the tone for a national election to be held next year.

The BJP deposed Congress as the biggest party after the Karnataka election last Saturday. But its 104 seats were not enough for a majority in the 224-member assembly.

Congress saw its numbers slashed from 122 to 78 seats but it formed a coalition with the regional Janata Dal (Secular) which finished with 37 seats.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2018