Gowda ready to support UPA

The JD(S), which has just three MPs in the Lok Sabha including its president Gowda, is being wooed along with Samajawadi Party by the Congress in the backdrop of the Left parties' inclination to pull out of the UPA following differences over the nuke-deal.

The political turbulence in New Delhi has come as a breather for Gowda, who had been sidelined by the Congress head-honchos following a bitter experience with him in Karnataka's political waters two years ago. The Congress had also turned down Gowda's recent proposal to form a coalition government in the state.

The BJP rubbed salt on Gowda's wounds by not only poaching two of his MLAs, but also threatening to expose the misdeeds of his son H D Kumaraswamy as the chief minister of the state for 20 months.

Just as Gowda was being pushed to the edge by the BJP, the Congress made a U-turn and sought Gowda's help to save the UPA.

Resolving to arm-twist the Congress, Gowda announced: "We will support the UPA only if the Congress agrees to put up a common candidate from all the secular parties in the legislative assembly bypolls that have been necessitated because of poaching by the BJP."

The Congress, however, is yet to respond to Gowda's conditions.