Bengaluru: With the BJP on Tuesday emerging as the single largest party in Karnataka, but falling short of a majority, the Congress on Tuesday sprang a surprise, declaring it will back the also-ran JD(S) in forming the government. Seeking to throw a spanner in the BJP's works, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced Congress's support to the JD(S). Emerging from a huddle with senior Congress leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Siddaramaiah said, "We have decided that the Congress will extend support to the JD(S) to form the government. That's the best way to keep the BJP out (of power)."


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Following is how the Congress and the JD(S) have worked out the formula to form the government in the southern state:


# Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leader HD Kumaraswamy to be the chief minister of Karnataka. 


# The Deputy CM will be from Congress.


# There will be 11 ministers from the JD(S) AND 21 from the Congress.


# Congress and JDS has 117, we need 111 to form the government. Since we were in power, and we lost, we have given our support for JD(S)-led government. BJP has 104, we are ahead of them, said Azad.


# The independent MLA Nagesh and others MLAs are with us. We have the numbers. We want a secular govt in Karnataka, said Congress leader DK Shivakumar. 


# Kumaraswamy wrote to Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala informing him about his decision to accept the Congress' support to form the government.


# This is to submit to your good self that I have accepted the support extended by the Indian National Congress (I) party for forming the government," Kumaraswamy said in the letter. 


# The sudden development has poured cold water on the BJP's plans to form its government in the large southern state, which its president Amit Shah called the 'gateway to south', for the second time.


# BJP's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa, his close aide and MP Shobha Karndlaje had said earlier, was to fly to New Delhi to finalise the date for his swearing-in after consulting the party's national leadership. 


Elections for 222 seats in Karnataka was held on May 12. A record 72.36 percent of the 5.07 crore electorate cast their votes, with 27,908 electors in defence services exercising their franchise through postal ballots.


In all, 2,622 candidates, including 217 women contested the 222 seats, including 36 reserved for Scheduled Castes and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes.


Polling for RR Nagar seat was deferred on account of alleged electoral malpractices, while it was countermanded in Jayanagar seat following the death of the BJP candidate.