Deve Gowda briefs party leaders

Janata Dal-Secular chief H D Deve Gowda on Wednesday held consultations with party colleagues after returning from New Delhi, where he met Congress president Sonia Gandhi regarding the ongoing political crisis in Karnataka.

Gowda, who had an inconclusive meeting with Gandhi on Tuesday, arrived in Bangalore no Wednesday morning but declined to take any questions from reporters on the outcome of the meeting.

• The Karnataka Crisis

"I have nothing to say now. Whenever I have something to say, I will tell you," he said before leaving his residence for an undisclosed destination to hold discussions with senior leaders of the party.

Different options had reportedly emerged at the Gowda-Gandhi meeting but both parties have remained tightlipped on the outcome of the talks.

The meeting came a day after Gowda backed his son and rebel JD-S leader, H D Kumaraswamy, whose action in withdrawing support to the coalition government has brought it to the brink of a collapse, with Chief Minister N Dharam Singh slated to seek a vote of confidence on January 27.