If not for coalition government, Deve Gowda would have won by over 2 lakh votes: Gowri Shankar

Tumkuru Rural JD(S) lawmaker Gowri Shankar blamed the JD(S) and Congress' coalition government in Karnataka for the defeat of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

"We formed a coalition government in the state. If not for the coalition government, Deve Gowda would have won with more than two lakh vote margin," Mr Shankar said.

He said, "Even if HD Kumaraswamy scolds me or Deve Gowda throws me out of the party, I will say this that we don't want this coalition government. We don''t want it."

Deve Gowda lost to BJP's G S Basavaraj from Tumakuru Lok Sabha seat by 13,000 votes.

The BJP won 25 of the 28 seats, one seat each was won by Congress and JD(S) and one seat was bagged by an Independent.

The BJP is the single largest party with 105 members in the 225-member assembly while the ruling coalition has 117 members with 79 legislators from Congress, 37 from JD(S) and 1 from BSP.