CM to attend Kumaraswamy swearing-in

After B S Yeddyurappa chose to resign as the CM instead of facing the trust vote, Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Democracy wins. Congratulations Karnataka. Congratulations Deve Gowda Ji, Kumaraswamy Ji, Congress and others. Victory of the 'regional' front."

She also called up former Prime Minister Deve Gowda and expressed her satisfaction.

It may be recalled that in an interview to a vernacular television channel almost a week ago, Banerjee had maintained that there might be a hung Assembly in Karnataka and H D Kumaraswamy might become the Chief Minister. Her prediction has come true. After the election result in Karnataka was out, Banerjee said it would have been different had the Congress inked ties with the JDS. In the 224-member Assembly, the BJP got 104 seats while Congress and JDS got 78 and 38 seats while others got 2.

It was Banerjee who started gathering anti-BJP parties on a common ground and work towards a Federal Front to contest against the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In the process, she spoke to Chandrababu Naidu, KCR, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav. KCR flew down to Kolkata to discuss the matter with her. Banerjee feels that to maintain the federal structure of India, the regional parties should grow stronger.

Partha Chatterjee, Trinamool Congress secretary general, said: "It is difficult to say why the one who could not retain his post then, even took the oath. If all are united then BJP will be finished in 2019," he remarked.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav also took to Twitter soon after Yeddyurappa announced his decision to resign as the Karnataka chief minister.

"Truth can never be defeated! Truth will always defeat a lie or liar! #KarnatakaFloorTest," the younger son of party chief Lalu Prasad wrote on the microblogging website.

All those who believe in democracy are happy, said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party exited the NDA in March.

"This is a big blow for them(BJP), and I think what they had been planning all along for 2019 has failed, they will now have to rethink and alter their strategies," said BSP supremo Mayawati.