The expected pullout by the BJP from the coalition government came today when 11 BJP legislators met Governor Mahabir Prasad at Chandigarh and submitted to him letters of withdrawal of support. The move reduced the Bansi Lal government to a minority in the 90-member Assembly.

Later, Prasad asked Chief Minister Bansi Lal to prove his majority in Vidhan Sabha on or before June 25, triggering off hectic political activity in Chandigarh and Delhi.

The decision to withdraw the support was taken by the BJP legislators led by education minister and leader of the BJP legislature party Ram Bilas Sharma at a meeting in Chandigarh this afternoon.

Immediately, the seven BJP Ministers -- Ram Bilas Sharma, Kamla Verma, Ganeshi Lal, Kishan PalGurjar, Shashi Pal Mehta, Kanwar Suraj Pal and Vaid Kapoor Chand -- resigned from the Council of Ministers.

Although Bansi Lal refused to spell out his plans, his son and former party MP Surinder Singh said: ``We are ready to ally with the Congress on their terms.''

Singh told The Indian Express that the HVP would not mind either of the obvious choices -- form a coalition government with the Congress or even go in for a merger to keep the Chautala-BJP combine out of power.

On the other hand, the BJP, along with Om Prakash Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), is banking on defections within the HVP to scuttle Bansi Lal's gameplan. So far, four of the HVP dissidents have come out openly.

The BJP's decision follows a reported promise by the party to INDL leader Chautala in lieu for his support for rescuing the BJP government in the face of the confidence motion in Parliament in April. The four-member INLD parliamentary group had then voted in favour of the BJP government.

Surinder Singh,who had been hobnobbing with the Congress leaders like Pranab Mukherjee for the past two weeks, said he would meet Sonia Gandhi and other leaders to formally seek their support in government formation.

Blaming the BJP for the betrayal, Singh said the party was ``paying the price for striking a bargain with Chautala.''

The Congress declaration that it would thwart any attempt by the BJP-INLD combine to form the government came as a breather to the HVP camp. However, lack of a clear commitments from the Congress has made the HVP restless.

The Congress itself is divided over the nature of alliance with the HVP.

Sources said while the Central leaders did not mind merger with the HVP, State leaders like Bhajan Lal were strongly opposed to it. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, president of the Haryana Congress Pradesh Committee, told The Indian Express that he would abide by the ruling of the Central leadership on the issue.

Although the numbers are in favour of a HVP-Congress combine, uncertainty looms overgovernment formation in the State as the HVP is reported to be seething with dissidence. Bansi Lal has so far been unable to get all the party legislators agree to a merger with the Congress. Sources said a powerful group within the party was dead against losing the party's identity.

The HVP today claimed it had gained moral ascendancy over the BJP-INLD by not jumping the gun over political hobnobbing by the two parties over several months.