Deve Gowda holds talks with K'taka Cong chief post LS polls debacle

Former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda had a discussion with Karnataka Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday, following the combine's rout in the just-concluded Lok Sabha election.

After the meeting that lasted for over an hour, Rao told reporters that Deve Gowda had asked him to come home to discuss various issues.

He, however, refused to divulge what transpired between the former prime minister and him.

"I cannot disclose what discussion we had because he has said something outright about the two parties.

"We will have to take certain decisions after discussing with the senior leaders in our party," Rao said.

The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) only managed to win one seat each of the 28 in Karnataka, while the BJP won 25 seats.

The other seat was bagged by BJP-backed Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, who defeated Deve Gowda's grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy in Mandya.

Deve Gowda too lost from Tumkur.

BJP leaders have predicted the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka and an increase in the saffron party's tally in the Assembly after the Lok Sabha poll results, claiming that 20-odd Congress MLAs were unhappy with the state government.

The Deve Gowda-Rao meeting comes amid coalition worries and discontent within the Congress, with its MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has been rubbing shoulders with the BJP for some time, even threatening to resign, along with a few other lawmakers.

The Congress has convened a meeting of its legislature party on Wednesday to discuss the political developments in the southern state.