HD Kumaraswamy may have won the crucial vote of confidence in the state Assembly Yesterday smoothly with the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party preferring to abstain from the house by staging a walkout when the voting was scheduled to take place. But the immediate second test in the form of cabinet formation is yet to begin.
As per the indications available now the Janata Dal-Secular and Indian National Congress parties are set to have agreed upon an understanding for the formation of the cabinet.The JDS including the Chief Minister’s position will be entitled for 12 berths while the Congress including the Deputy CM’s position will be handed over 22 berths.
In the dozen cabinet positions, the JDS is also supposed to accommodate the lone BSP member from Kollegal reserve constituency in Chamarajnagar district and two Independents.It may be recalled here that the JDS had contested the polls on an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the latter’s nominee emerged victorious in one seat.
Thanks to last-minute developments in the form of rejection of nomination papers of the official candidate in the Mulabagal constituency of Kolar district, the Congress party was compelled to support an Independent who also managed to win.
While R Shankar of the KPJP regional outfit floated by Upendra, film actor trounced KB Koliwad, Speaker of the previous Assembly in Ranebennur constituency of Haveri district. KH Koliwad didn’t hide his anger on the counting day and squarely blamed Siddaramaiah for his defeat.
In fact R Shankar had earlier tried for a Congress ticket in vain.KB Koliwad had termed Siddaramaiah as ‘Bachha’ in comparison with his long stint in the Congress party. However according to him, Siddaramaiah ensured his defeat as R Shankar belonged to his Kuruba community.
R Shankar’s behavior on the next day of counting was also found peculiar. In the morning he accompanied KS Eshwarappa,then leader of the opposition in the legislative council who got elected from Shivamogga constituency to BS Yeddyurappa’s house.
Then the party sources also claimed that R Shankar had extended his support to the BJP. But by the end of the day he had switched sides and joined the Congress camp citing ‘development of his constituency’.In fact this first time legislator happens to be KS Eshwarappa’s relative and the previous day KSE’s son had brought him to the city from Ranebennur.
Even if both the Independent MLAs’ had supported the BJP also the strength of the saffron party would still be 106 and remained short of seven members to reach the magic number.Well all these factors are now things of the past and history.
The pertinent question which will continue to haunt the new alliance government for now is the expansion of the two members cabinet.As mentioned earlier there may not be another round of debate on the 12-22 understanding between the parties.But who will represent whom is bound to become a new headache if the matter can be perceived in that way.
HD Devegowda’s preferences on choices from the Congress are no public secret either.He’s said to have expressed his resentment on taking in DK Shivakumar,Congress party’s Man Friday and MB Patil,former Major Irrigation Minister to the cabinet.
HDD feels DK Shivakumar although a Vokkaliga is a sworn enemy having friendly relations with BS Yeddyurappa. Perhaps the senior Gowda looks to be scared that DK Shivakumar may repeat what his own son had done for the Congress led JDS supported government in 2006!
But DK Shivakumar is no simpleton.He’s already registered his dissatisfaction to the party high command and according to his own public utterances:I am no saint to keep quiet…
His grouse is that the party made use of his services when it was struggling to keep the entire flock together.Over the years he’s in fact become a veteran of such capabilities.But after the task was over he has been let down by not inducting into the cabinet as another Deputy Chief Minister.
He had kept all the 46 Gujarat Congress MLAs’ together in the same Eagleton resort during the Rajya Sabha elections which returned Ahmed Patel to the upper house.His similar experience of holding captive Maharashtra Congress MLAs during adverse political conditions to the late Vilasrao Deshmukh government is also something the party can ill afford to forget.
But the Congress party has its own problems. HD Kumaraswamy is a Vokkaliga holding the CM’s position and the 16 member strong Lingayat lobby is also pressurizing the party to be given one more Deputy CM’s post.In a way the top brass of the party is in a fix of not being in a position to oblige either DK Shivakumar nor the Lingayat lobby.
Dr G Parameshwar,the first Dalit Deputy Chief Minister is averse to the idea of another DCM from his own party as he feels the importance attached to the position now may lose its shine sooner or later.
DK Shivakumar is also said to be toying with the idea of holding the KPCC President’s post as well along with a cabinet berth.
Janata Dal Secular looks to be in a advantageous position with only 37 MLAs’.Apart from the cabinet berths all those who couldn’t make it to the cabinet can be rehabilitated by rewarding with positions of chairmen to boards and corporations.But the same argument cannot hold good to the 78 members Congress.
Hindusthan Samachar/Manohar Yadavatti
