BJP Karnataka announces Yeddyurappa's swearing-in ceremony, then deletes tweet: Report

BJP Karnataka's official Twitter handle had reportedly fired the post before deleting it.

PTI Photo

New Delhi: The Bhartiya Janata Party may have jumped the gun when its Karnataka social media team reportedly tweeted that BS Yeddyurappa will take oath as state CM on Thursday morning. With no official confirmation from the Governor, the tweet was hastily deleted.

News agency ANI reported that a tweet from @BJP4Karnataka was fired at 2031hrs announcing that the oath-taking ceremony would take place at 0930hrs at Raj Bhawan on Thursday. Calling it a realisation of the dream of Kannadigas, the post was quickly retweeted by hundreds. The handle however had to delete the tweet because no political leader or Governor Vajubhai Vala himself had not confirmed about the oath-taking ceremony.

Karnataka BJP deletes the tweet announcing BS Yeddyurappa's swearing-in as Chief Minister of Karnataka, tomorrow. #KarnatakaElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/KtoaJFXA5C — ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

The political battle between BJP and Congress-JDS has reached a tipping point with both BS Yeddyurappa and HD Kumaraswamy meeting Governor Vala and staking claim to form government. While Yeddyurappa has said BJP is the single-largest party after Tuesday's counting of votes and that this should be reason enough for the party to form government, Kumaraswamy submitted signed letters of support from 117 MLAs to the Governor before all the MLAs were transported to a resort outside Bengaluru fearing horse trading. 

Congress and JDS have alleged that BJP is trying to lure their respective MLAs with crores. At the same time, both parties have repeatedly said that the MLAs are united.

Sources had told Zee News on Tuesday itself that the Governor would invite Yeddyurappa to take oath as CM but there has not been any official confirmation. If this does indeed happen, Congress could approach Supreme Court. At a press conference late on Wednesday night, senior Congress leaders P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and RS Surjewala said that the Governor would be encouraging poaching if he does invite BJP to form government.