The post-election drama in India's Karnataka state continued on Friday with the Supreme Court ordering the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to prove its majority on the floor of the legislative assembly within 36 hours.
The state elections were being seen as a marker of the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP as well as the opposition Indian National Congress party ahead of general elections next year.
Voters gave a split verdict with no single party getting the required majority to form a government in Saturday's polls.
The BJP, which emerged as the largest party, and a post-election coalition of the incumbent Congress party and the regional Janata Dal (Secular) both staked a claim to form the next government. The alliance has a slim majority in the new assembly.
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala invited the BJP to form the government despite the anger of the rival coalition.
Vala, a former BJP member, initially gave local BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa - who took the oath of office as chief minister on Thursday - 15 days to prove his majority on the floor of the
assembly.
But the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the deadline should be 36 hours and not 15 days, Congress party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
"The court also said the chief minister should not take any major decisions before the test," Singhvi said.
"BJP is ready and confident of winning the trust vote," party spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.
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