`Kingmaker` left to lick his wounds

The father-son duo of H D Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy went into the mute-mode on Sunday afternoon when the truth dawned upon them that a government could be formed in Karnataka without their support. The JD(S), which won 58 seats in the 2004 elections and held the key to power for four years, saw its number falling to 28 this time.

Deve Gowda, who had thundered that no party would be able to form the government without his help, was shell-shocked by the BJP's performance. So was his son, former chief minister Kumaraswamy, who has been charged with forcing pre-mature elections on the people by