Why forming govt in revenue-rich Karnataka is crucial for BJP and Congress?

For the Congress, a failure to form the government could be debilitating to its functioning. For the BJP, it opens the gates to south India

The Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) lost little time on Tuesday afternoon to come to terms with the Karnataka Assembly verdict, overcame the bitterness of the election campaign and staked claim to form a coalition government.

Forming the government in an industrially developed and relatively prosperous Karnataka is crucial for both the parties. Punjab is the only other revenue rich state, apart from Karnataka, where the Congress currently runs a government.

The JD(S), a regional party with its base restricted to Karnataka, has been out of power for over a decade. In a recent interview, JD(S) president H D Deve Gowda told