Karnataka: political history
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Historical political icons
From: Naheed Ataullah & Rakesh Prakash, May 16, 2018: The Times of India
See graphic:
Karnataka’s historical political icons
Bellwether seats
Till 2018
From: Prabhash K Dutta, March 17, 2023: The Times of India
See graphic:
Karnataka’s bellwether seats, till 2018
Brahmins
2019: Brahmin Development Board
K’taka counters PM’s EWS quota with Brahmin board, February 15, 2019: The Times of India
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Karnataka cabinet has decided to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 10% reservation for the upper caste poor by forming its own Brahmin Development Board in the state for the community.
A promise made by JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda prior to the 2018 assembly elections, the board has come in handy for the JD(S)- Congress coalition government to woo the BJP Brahmin vote bank in the state. Brahmins make up 3% of Karnataka’s population.
While the coalition regime has remained silent on the implementation of the 10% quota in government jobs for the economically weaker section (EWS) of the upper castes, it has said the primary intention of the state government is to provide social and economic stability to Brahmins in the state. “The government has decided to set up the Brahmin Development Board and initiate a series of schemes for providing more opportunities for the economically weaker sections of the community in education, jobs and social commitments,” rural development and panchayat raj minister Krishna Byregowda said after the cabinet meeting.
The board will initiate schemes to provide education to the underprivileged from the community, sanction educational loans, provide healthcare assistance for those who cannot afford it and grant pensions to widows and the elderly. “The board will also undertake mass marriages and provide financial assistance to hold mass upananyanas (thread ceremonies),” he said.
Cabinets, composition of
2023
BV Shivashankar, May 28, 2023: The Times of India
Bengaluru : The hurdles notwithstanding, Congress managed on Saturday to install a full-strength cabinet comprising 34 ministers. Multiple factors — including a widely speculated unwritten power-sharing formula, camp politics, rivalries and caste combinations — seem to have played a role in the formation of chief minister Siddaramaiah’scabinet.
Siddaramiah’s supporters are claiming that the CM has achieved the distinction of filling all 34 ministerial berths in one shot, breaking away from the convention of keeping some slots open in order to address likelyrevolt.
However, the move to induct ministers to the full capacity of the cabinet is part of the pact between the rival camps led by Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar to split the five-year term equally between the two politicians, with each ordained to be at the helm for 30 months.
“The idea is to give the opportunity to the next batch after two-and-a-half years,when Siddramaiah is expected to hand over the baton to Shivakumar,” said a Congress functionary who was involved in the negotiations between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in the presence of the party highcommand. “While this has been conveyed to the batch in waiting, the high command thought there was no point in keepingany cabinet berth vacant. The ministers who have taken oath now are supposed to make way for those who are waiting,” headded.
Deciding to keep the details of the power-sharing formula under wrap in an attempt to ensure the stability of the government, the high command has reportedly issued strict instructions to its functionaries not to discuss the issue inpublic.
“As disciplined party functionaries, we don’t want to reveal in public what transpired during the talks with the high command. All that I can say is that formation of the complete cabinet by filling all the berths was the result of a well-thought-out plan,” said Kunigal MLA HD Ranganath, a close confidant of Shivakumar.
Chief Ministers
1950s-2019: Only 3 CMs completed full term
July 23, 2019: The Times of India
Only 3 CMs completed full term in history of Karnataka
NEW DELHI: Only three chief ministers — all from the Congress — have been able to complete their full five-year term in the history of Karnataka, which saw the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government losing the confidence motion in the Assembly on Tuesday after just 14 months in power.
S Nijalingappa (1962-68), D Devaraja Urs (1972-77) and Siddaramaiah (2013-2018) were the chief ministers who had completed their full term. No chief minister from the BJP and Kumaraswamy's JD(S) could manage to complete the full term in Karnataka.
In fact, Kumaraswamy's first stint as chief minister in the BJP-led coalition government lasted less than two years from February 2006 to October 2007.
He had disagreement over power sharing with the BJP and refused to support the saffron party-led government in the state.
His second term as chief minister in the Congress-JD(S) government began in May 2018 after a hung verdict in the assembly election.
In case of the BJP, B S Yeddyurappa became chief minister for the first time in 2007 but remained in office for only seven days after the JD(S) withdrew support and the President's rule was imposed in the state.
In May 2008, Yeddyurappa led the BJP to a historic victory in the state and became chief minister for a second time, but he had to quit in July 2011 due to alleged corruption.
His third stint as chief minister was for only six days from May 17 to May 23 in 2018 as he resigned citing lack of majority.
Since Karnataka was formed in 1956, it has seen 25 chief ministers and maximum of them were from the Congress.
2004- 18
From: May 14, 2023: The Times of India
See graphic:
Chief Ministers in Karnataka, 2004- 18
Coalition govts
HDK in all failed coalition govts
Chethan Kumar, Kiran Parashar, July 24, 2019: The Times of India
From: Chethan Kumar, Kiran Parashar, July 24, 2019: The Times of India
HD Kumaraswamy is common thread in all failed coalition govts in Karnataka
BENGALURU: BS Yeddyurappa has the hard-to-match record of leading a coalition government for the least number of days in Karnataka — seven days from November 12 to 23, 2007 — and now HD Kumaraswamy slots in right behind the BJP leader on the list, serving 426 days in office — from May 23, 2018, to July 23, 2019.
In 2007, it was Kumaraswamy who wanted the government to collapse, while this time around, it was Yeddyurappa. “In my decade-long career as a politician, I have done several wrongs, but the worst was my decision to go against my father’s (HD Deve Gowda) will and partner with the BJP in 2007,” Kumaraswamy had said on the floor of the house last week.
The JD(S)-Congress government, which lost a confidence motion on Tuesday, isn’t the first coalition to have an incomplete tenure. In fact, not a single coalition government has completed a full term in the state.
The first coalition government was formed in 2004, between Congress and the JD(S) with Dharam Singh as the chief minister. This government only lasted one year and 205 days with 65 Congress and 58 JD(S) MLAs. A defection in the JD(S), reportedly led by Kumaraswamy, led to its collapse. There was another government stitched together by parties before 2004 — in 1983 — but it wasn’t a coalition. The Janata Party (JNP), led by Ramakrishna Hegde, was the single largest party with 95 seats. Hegde formed the government with outside support from the BJP (which had 18 seats), Left parties and 16 independents.
Hegde resigned and dissolved the government a- year-and-354 days later after JNP performed poorly in the Lok Sabha elections. Hegde felt the party did not have the people’s mandate and that it would be inappropriate for him to hold the CM’s office.
After the Dharam Singh government collapsed, Kumaraswamy roped in the Yeddyurappa-led BJP to form the government. Kumaraswamy promised BJP that both parties would share the CM’s post for 20 months each. As per the agreement, HDK was to be CM for the first 20 months, followed by Yeddyurappa. But, soon after Kumaraswamy completed his tenure in the office, the government collapsed.
THE RAMANAGARA JINX
Ramanagara district is known for having churned out more chief ministers than any other in the state, but none of them has completed a full term in office.
On Tuesday, HD Kumaraswamy too failed to break the jinx. Interestingly, this is the second time Kumaraswamy has failed to complete a full-term of five years. He was in power for 20 months after he joined hands with the BJP in 2006. The other leader who won from Ramanagara and went on to become the CM was Kumaraswamy’s father and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, who won the seat in the 1994 assembly elections. Gowda had to resign in 1996 to become Prime Minister. The people of Ramanagara also claim with pride that Ramakrishna Hegde got political birth in their district as he won the Kanakapura assembly elections in 1983 and became the CM. But, he too stepped down without completing a full term. The second CM of Karnataka, Kengal Hanumanthaiah, had contested from Ramanagara and went on to head the state on March 30, 1952. But he served as CM for four years and five months.
Dynasts
As in 2023
Akram M, May 18, 2023: The Indian Express
Dynasts, irrespective of party affiliation, continue to thrive in Karnataka politics as an analysis of the background of the newly elected MLAs shows that one-fifth are members of families at least one of whose members has held a political position or public office.
At least 61 candidates of the BJP, the Congress, and the Janata Dal (Secular) are from political families, including three father-son and two father-daughter duos and five sets of brothers, contested the elections. Of them, 43 were elected to the 224-member Assembly. Two Independents also hail from political families. There were quite a few dynasts who lost the election, including former CM H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil of the Janata Dal (Secular), who lost from Ramanagara; Congress leader Margaret Alva’s son Nivedith Alva who lost from Karwar in Uttara Kannada district; Leader of Opposition of outgoing Legislative Council B K Hariprasad’s nephew Rakshith Shivaram, who lost on a Congress ticket from Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada district; BJP MP Sanganna Karadi’s daughter-in-law Manjula Amaresh who lost from Koppal in Kalaburagi district; and former minister Anand Singh’s son Siddharth Singh in Vijayanagara in Ballari district.
Of the father-son MLA duos, two are Shamunuru Shivashankarappa and his son S S Mallikarjun of the Congress and G T Devegowda and Harish Gowda of the JD(S). While Shivashankarappa and Mallikarjun won from Davanagere North and Davanagere South constituencies, Devegowda and Harish won from Chamundeshewari and Hunsur constituencies in Mysuru district.
Among the father-daughter pairs are former Union Minister K H Muniyappa and Roopakala M of the Congress who won from Devanahalli (Bengaluru Rural) and Kolar Gold Field constituencies. All three Jarkiholi brothers were re-elected again from three neighbouring constituencies at the centre of Belagavi district. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president Satish Jarkiholi won from Yemkanmardi for the fourth time. His brothers Ramesh and Balachandra contested on BJP tickets. While Ramesh won from the constituency of Gokak for the seventh time, Balachandra bagged Arabhavi for a sixth term.
Around Bellary, it was mostly bad news for the Reddy brothers, influential mining barons, as only one of them won. While former BJP minister Gali Janardhana Reddy won from Gangawati in Koppal district, the sole victory for his Karnataka Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP), both his brothers and former MLAs Somashekara and Karunakara lost the elections. Somasekhara lost the contest from the Bellary City constituency to the Congress’s Nara Bharath Reddy. Another contestant in the fray was Janardhana’s wife Aruna Lakshmi. Outgoing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is the son of former CM S R Bommai, won from the Shiggaon constituency while All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank won from Chittapur in Kalaburagi district.
It was a mixed bag for the two sons of former CM Dharam Singh. While Ajay Singh won from Jewargi in Kalaburagi district, Vijay Singh lost from Basavakalyan in Bidar district. Both contested on Congress tickets.
Brothers Madhu and Kumar Bangarappa, sons of former CM S Bangarappa, went up against each other in the constituency of Soraba in Shivamogga district. Kumar, the incumbent MLA from the BJP, lost to Madhu who contested on a Congress ticket.
Nayana Jhawar, the daughter of former minister C Motamma, was one of the first-time winners. An alumna of the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, the 43-year-old won by a slender margin of 722 votes from the constituency of Mudigere on a Congress ticket. She benefited from B S Yediyurappa loyalist M P Kumaraswamy’s decision to leave the BJP and contest the election on a JD(S) ticket. Kumaraswamy dented the BJP’s prospects in the seat.
Here is a list, not exhaustive, of Congress and BJP MLAs from political families:
Congress
Dinesh Gundu Rao, the son of former CM R Gundu Rao, won in Gandhi Nagar (Bengaluru Urban)
Ganesh Hukkeri, the son of former MP Prakash Hukkeri, won in Chikkodi Sadalga (Belagavi)
Mahantesh Koujalagi, the son of former minister Shivanand Koujalagi, won in Bailhongal (Belagavi)
Vijayanad S Kashappanavar, the son of former minister S R Kashappanavar, won in Hungund (Bagalkot)
Kaneez Fatima, the wife of former minister Qamar-ul-Islam, won in Gulbarga Uttar
Eshwar Khandre, the son of former minister Bheemanna Khandre, won in Bhalki (Bidar)
Krishna Byregowda, the son of former minister C Byre Gowda, won from Byatarayanapura (Bengaluru Urban)
Sharath Bachegowda, the son of BJP MP B N Bache Gowda, won in Hosakote (Bengaluru Rural)
U T Khader, the son of former MLA U T Fareed, won in Mangalore
A S Ponnana, the son of former MLC A K Subbaiah, won in Virajpet (Kodagu)
Darshan Dhruvanarayana, the son of former MP R Dhruvanarayan, won in Nanjangud (Mysuru)
H M Ganesh Prasad, the son of former minister H S Mahadeva Prasad, won in Gundlupet (Chamarajanagar)
M B Patil, the son of former legislator B M Patil, won in Babaleshwar (Bijapur)
H K Patil, the son of former minister K H Patil, won in Gadag Anil Kumar C, the son of former MLA Chikkamadu S, won in H D Kote (Mysuru)
Tanveer Sait, the son of former minister Azeez Sait, won in Narasimharaja (Mysuru)
Nayana Jhawar, daughter of former minister Motamma, won in Mudigere (Chikkamagaluru)
BJP
B Y Vijayendra, the son of BJP Parliamentary Board member and former CM B S Yediyurappa, won in Shikaripura (Shivamogga)
Shashikala Jolle, the wife of Chikkodi MP Annasaheb Jolle, won in Nippani (Belagavi)
Nikhil Katti, the son of former minister Umesh Katti, won in Hukkeri (Belagavi)
Avinash Jadhav, the son of Kalaburagi MP Umesh Jadhav, won at Chincholi (Kalaburagi)
Arvind Bellad, the son of former MLA Chandrakant Bellad, won in Hubli-Dharwad West (Dharwad)
L A Ravisubramanya, the uncle of BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, won in Basavangudi (Bengaluru Urban)
Manjula S, the wife of former BJP MLA Arvind Limbavali and sister of MLA S Raghu, won in Mahadevapura (Bengaluru Urban)
G B Jyoti Ganesh, the son of BJP MP G S Basavaraju, won in Tumakuru city
Kannada activism
The 1960s- 2024
Chethan Kumar, March 21, 2024: The Times of India
Bengaluru shops can say it in English, but they must say it louder in the native language, thanks to a new law.
Last year, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had ordered businesses to make sure their signboards give 60% space to Kannada by Feb 28 this year. The number was arbitrary, but it was later enshrined in state law through an amendment passed last month. Then, a two-week extension to comply expired on March 13. In the ensuing days, shops or businesses with names painted in English had to get it repainted in a way that the name appeared bigger in Kannada. It was a costly change. Many businesses had to shell out Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh each on it.
Data shows that 49,732 of the 50,357 establishments that were issued notices by BBMP complied with the new rule by March 13. It has warned non-compliant businesses about licence suspension/cancellation and even sealing of shops.
Some of them moved high court, which passed an interim order on March 18 directing authorities not to seal any industrial/commercial establishment in Bengaluru over the mandate. Officials were also directed to clarify the exact date when the new rule came into effect.
Signs Of The Times
Pro-Kannada activism goes back decades, and even the issue of Kannada on signboards had started gaining traction in early-2000s. What’s different this time is the mandate to position Kannada at the top and give 60% space to it. However, nobody knows the logic for the 60% ratio. The earlier BJP govt had introduced Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill, 2022, which became law in Feb 2023 when Basavaraj Bommai was CM.
It prescribed prominent usage of Kannada in signages and signboards, but without specifying a ratio. The 60% rule surfaced in a 2023 BBMP directive to all shops and commercial establishments regarding Kannada signage. Multiple trade associations met the civic body’s top officials and committed to meeting the deadline. Activists from a pro-Kannada outfit, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), were present in some of these meetings.
Fear Of Vandalism
On Dec 7, KRV was allowed to stage a march from near Kempegowda International Airport to the city, ostensibly to spread awareness about the 60% Kannada signage rule. Bengaluru police, who crack down on protests held outside designated venues, curiously allowed it. As expected, the march turned into a show of strength. Signs that were not in Kannada were vandalised.
After that, businesses complied with alacrity. Establishments, including those in the central business district, covered their signs with temporary banners that gave most of the space to Kannada.
The state govt had been considering adding the 60% rule to the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022, through an amendment but finally decided to take the ordinance route. However, before Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot could sign the ordinance, dates for the next House sitting were announced. That led Gehlot to ask govt to get the change passed through the House. This was done in the Budget session last month. The amended Act got the governor’s assent on Feb 25.
SIMMERING FOR 60 YEARS
1960s | Language activism starts in Bengaluru
1980s | Gokak agitation to grant Kannada ‘first language’ status
1990s | Cable operators block Tamil channels during Cauvery water sharing dispute
2000s | Language chauvinists target signboards
2002 | Order for better usage of Kannada in Bengaluru corporation limits
2016 | Karnataka HC says prominent use of Kannada not enforceable under Shops & Establishment Act
2022 | Karnataka Law Commission proposes Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022
Feb 2023 | Law prescribing, among other things, prominent use of Kannada in signboards passed
Dec 2023 | Bengaluru corporation sets Feb 28, 2024 as deadline for businesses to have signboards giving 60% space to Kannada. ProKannada activists vandalise signboards across city. Amid fears of vandalism, businesses start placing makeshift banners over signboards
Feb 25, 2024 | Rule incorporated in law through amendment
Mar 13, 2024 | Nearly 99% act on the mandate
Mar 18, 2024 | HC passes interim order asking BBMP not to seal shops that haven’t complied with the new law
MAX LANGUA GES/ DIALECTS SPOKEN
Top 5 Districts, India
107 | Bengaluru, Karnataka
103 | Dimapur, Nagaland
101 | Sonitpur, Assam
98 | Jalpaiguri, West Bengal
97 | South West, Delhi
Source: Census 2011
Kannada made compulsory for 4 in UG semesters
Sruthy Susan Ullas, August 17, 2021: The Times of India
BENGALURU: The state government’s rule to make Kannada compulsory for four semesters in three-year degree programmes as per the new National Education Policy (NEP) has stirred up a hornet’s nest. Many private colleges that draw non-Karnataka pupils said the mandate has caused concerns among students.
A top college in the city said one concern raised by the new batch was regarding Kannada. “For our students from the north and northeast, four semesters of Kannada might not be useful. While we believe two semesters of functional Kannada will be extremely beneficial, the four-semester mandate is going to rob the student the chance to learn a language he or she might need for their future education or career,” said a lecturer from the college.
As per the new format of degree courses that will come into effect from academic year 2021-22, students have to learn Kannada in four semesters plus an additional language with their majors and electives. It can be any language the college offers. The GO states textbooks for Kannada speakers and non-native speakers will have to be different.
“The concern is also about other language departments. With Kannada and another language being mandatory, many students might prefer English as the latter. What happens to active foreign language departments like French and German or other languages like Sanskrit, Tamil or Urdu? The workload of lecturers changes dramatically,” pointed out a lecturer.
“We fear there will be hesitancy among non-Karnataka students to join colleges in the state,” said KH Anil Kumar, professor and director of Karnataka College of Management, where 25-30% students are from other states.
At a recent meeting with vice-chancellors and select college principals on NEP at Karnataka State Higher Education Council, some college heads suggested the government change the rule of teaching Kannada as a functional language, like is being practised for engineering courses at Visvesvaraya Technological University. VTU students are taught Kannada for functional use in one semester and the subject carries only two credits, whereas the four-semester Kannada being prescribed for three-year degree courses has 12 credits.
“The old scheme of things should continue for languages. Additionally, students who do not opt for Kannada must learn functional Kannada for two semesters. In case a student opts for Kannada and another language other than English, s/he should learn functional English for two semesters. With this, students will be able to balance all the languages,” said a college principal.
A member of the Council said these decisions are political. “While NEP promises greater flexibility, isn’t this curtailing students’ choices,” asked a teacher.
MK Shridhar, who was on the drafting committee of NEP, chooses to differ. “NEP asks to give emphasis to regional languages in whatever way possible. The question is whether the spirit of the policy is taken care of or not. The others are just matters of details. Even while a student is given flexibility, there should be a framework for the system,” he said.
Marathi-speaking population
As in 2011
November 19, 2020: The Times of India
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From: November 19, 2020: The Times of India
Maharashtra, Karnataka lock horns over Marathi-speaking border areas
BENGALURU: Chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday hit out at Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar for his remarks on merging Belagavi and other Marathi-speaking areas in the state with Maharashtra.
“I totally condemn Pawar’s statement as he is looking to create conflict among people living in border areas. The whole world knows that the Mahajan Commission decision is final,” Yediyurappa told reporters.
He also defended his move to set up the Maratha development corporation to oversee progress of the community. “Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka are like Kannadigas in the state and they had taken part in the 2011 Vishwa Kannada Sammelana in a big way,” he said, adding that a corporation has been set up for social, economic, academic and religious development of the substantial Marathi population in the state.
After paying tributes to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on his eighth death anniversary, Pawar said Maharashtra’s all-round growth and incorporating Belagavi, Karwar and Nipani areas of Karnataka, which have substantial Marathi-speaking population, into the state were among Thackeray’s dreams. “Let’s resolve to fulfil his dream,” he said.
Accusing Pawar of fanning the flames of unrest in border areas, Yediyurappa said he should stop making such comments.
Murders, political
2018- 2022 Jun: 21+ political murders
Chethan Kumar , August 1, 2022: The Times of India
Bengaluru: Karnataka, which is reeling from three alleged political murders within a span of less than 10 days, has seen at least 21 such murders between January 2018 and June 2022, official data reviewed by TOIshows. Government data since the time crime bureaus began classifying murders under ‘political reasons’ at the turn of the century (2000) shows Karnataka has seen mor e than 120 such killings at an average of around five murders a year. They are classified as ‘political’ based on backgrounds of individuals involved and the immediate motive.
Analysis shows the period when SM Krishna was chief minister saw the least killings (17) and the five years when Siddaramaiah was at the helm saw the most (34). But officials point out that the trend in cases could be for a variety of reasons. “It could be that the system allowed registration of cases in one p eriod or that the overall environment was more charged,” on e official said, while another added that in many cases, murders would have been committed on the spur of the moment.
Home minister Araga Jna- nendra claimed: “Previous governments did not reg ister all cases and politicians encouraged organisations like the S ocial Democratic Party of India (SDPI) that have extreme religious views. Siddaramaiah even withdrew cases again st around 2,000 m embers belonging to various organisations, which emboldened such people. Our government is registering all cases and is committed to taking all of them to a logical end. ”
But fo rmer CM HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S) argued that the BJP government is worsening the situation in Karnataka, which used to be a model state for peace and harmony.
Muslims, Muslim issues
Hijab, halal. Muslim vendors
The controversies around hijab and halal – that had rocked Karnataka recently — were “unnecessary”, former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa said.
Asked how the party had handled the hijab and the halal issue, Yediyurappa, in an interview to The Indian Express, said: “I am not going to support such things. According to me, Hindus and Muslims should live like brothers and sisters. From the beginning, I have taken this stand. These were the issues that were not necessary. I will not support such things.”
Yediyurappa’s remarks come in the run-up to polls on May 10. The BJP has given a ticket to Yashpal Suvarna, one of the most vocal voices against students seeking to wear hijab on college premises in Karnataka, which had stoked tension between communities in the coastal region of the state.
There have also been calls by right-wing groups against Muslim vendors from participating in temple festivals and for boycotting halal meat by Hindus after the Karnataka New Year festival of Ugadi last year. These found resonance in the party and functionaries, including BJP general secretary C T Ravi, who had endorsed what he called measures to counter “economic jihad.” The Opposition said that this was another attempt … to use divisive politics to polarise the electorate.
Muslim MPs and LS candidates
1991-2019
From: Chethan Kumar, Lok Sabha elections: Karnataka has not picked Muslim MP since 2004, April 9, 2019: The Times of India
With the three major parties not favouring many candidates from the community and polarisation of voters, Karnataka hasn't elected a Muslim MP since 2004.
Experts say delimitation of constituencies also had an impact on winnability, although Muslim leaders say that should not be a factor while giving representation.
Of the 84 MPs Karnataka sent to Parliament since 2004, Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi, from Kalaburgi in 2004, was the only Muslim. The Congress and JD(S) together had only 11 Muslim candidates from 2004 to 2019, while the BJP had none. These 11 make up for less than 10% of the seats (112) that were at play, while Karnataka has more than 12% Muslims.
"There are no clear Muslim constituencies where the community votes decide the winner," said political scientist Muzaffar Assadi. "Parties also don't encourage leaders to grow beyond community identity markers. Another factor is that there has been a polarisation of voters, especially when the BJP is contesting."
He explains that polarisation doesn't have an impact where Congress and JD(S) fight each other — voters see candidates as party members — but the Hindu-Muslim divide is apparent when the BJP is in play. "Hindu votes get consolidated," he said.
This year, too, there is just one Muslim in the fray — Congress' Rizwan Arshad from Bengaluru Central — and only time can tell if the state will break the trend. Karnataka has not elected too many Muslims over the years: There were two in 1989, BM Mujahid from Dharwad South and CK Jaffer Sharief from Bengaluru North, and one in each of the election from 1991 to 2004.
Read also: For 30 years, no Muslim MP from Gujarat in Lok Sabha +
Between 1991 and 2004, Sharief won thrice (1991, 1998 and 1999), Qamar ul Islam won in 1996 and Saradgi in 2004. Even in these elections, the Congress and JD(S) together fielded Muslims in not more than five seats.
Former deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa last week told former MLA Iqbal Ansari to "sweep the BJP offices for 10 years" if he wanted a ticket, reflecting BJP's stand. Muslim leaders within the Congress were hoping to get at least three seats this time, including one in Bidar, where the party eventually opted for Eshwar Khandre.
Congress' Roshan Baig rubbished theories on winnability. "There's a lot of talk about social justice, but where is it? Do all the candidates win? The idea is to encourage people, give them representation and back them to win," he said.
Muslims
Scrapping of Muslim quota criticised by SC
Dhananjay Mahapatra, April 14, 2023: The Times of India
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court shredded the Karnataka government's controversial March 27 decision ending 4% Muslim quota in the state and said the "foundation of the order is shaky" and appeared to be "based on absolutely fallacious assumptions”.
Hearing appeals against the order, a bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna said, "The order could not have been passed based on an interim report of the commission. The state could have waited till a final report.”
Sensing that the court was inclined to stay the order, the Karnataka government gave an undertaking that the decision would not be implemented for now.
By the impugned order, the state had shifted Muslims from the socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) to the economically weaker section (EWS) to end the 4% reservation they had since 2002. The 4% quota so freed was distributed equally among Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities.
During the course of the hearing in the SC, the bench said, “On the basis of the documents and materials produced before us, it appears that Muslims were backward and then suddenly it has changed.”
Senior advocates Dushyant Dave, Kapil Sibal and Gopal Shankaranarayanan appeared for petitioners from the Muslim community and said the government had not carried out any study and there was no data available to justify denying quota to Muslims.
"The Muslim community needs protection from the Supreme Court," Dave said. He went on to argue that several commissions had repeatedly categorised Muslims as one of the most backward communities deserving reservation. The March 27 order, which erased the 4% quota enjoyed by Muslims for more than two decades, was not based on any in-depth study and was arbitrary, he said.
"Muslims are being deprived of their constitutional rights because of their religion. The government thinks Muslims are dispensable. What was the hurry to pass an order on the eve of elections? They are being put in the general category to avail EWS quota at a time when their literacy and employment rates are the lowest compared to other communities," Dave said.
Sibal, Shankaranarayanan and Ravivarma Kumar supported Dave and said irreparable damage would be caused if the state's order was not stayed.
Appearing for the state government, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said, "Granting reservation on the basis of religion, even if it was wrongly done earlier, is per se unconstitutional. The Constitution does not permit reservation on the basis of religion.”
The Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, through senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, supported the government and said the court could not stay the March 27 order without hearing the two communities, which would be robbed of their additional reservation granted through the new notification.
The bench repeatedly told the SG that if the state government gave an undertaking not to act on the March 27 order, it would not order a stay. The SG told the SC that he would not give any statement except request the court to give time to the state till Monday to file a detailed reply presenting the correct picture on the impugned decision.
The SG took instructions from the government and said the state would not make any appointment or admission to educational institutions on the basis of the order till Monday.
National roles for Karnataka politicians
2020
Manu Aiyappa, November 16, 2020: The Times of India
Why Karnataka politicians are in demand for national roles
BENGALURU: The BJP and Congress have partly overhauled its national team of office-bearers by including several political figures from Karnataka. While the assembly elections are still two-and-half years away, many are surprised as to why politicians, especially second-rung forerunners from the state, are being given important roles at the national level.
After elevating Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya as the BJP’s youth wing president, CT Ravi, former minister and national general secretary, on Friday was given charge of three important states — Goa, Maharashtra, and the poll-bound Tamil Nadu. The BJP has been aggressively promoting Surya and Ravi. Surya recently campaigned in states like West Bengal and Bihar with which he has little connection and is now a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology.
In September, Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar was included in the team of national spokespersons. In 2018, senior party functionary BL Santhosh was appointed national general secretary in charge of organisation, the second-most important position after national BJP chief JP Nadda.
In the Congress, senior MLAs HK Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao and Krishna Byre Gowda have also been given important positions. Patil now oversees party affairs in Maharashtra where the Congress is a partner in the ruling coalition, while Rao, a former KPCC president, will take care of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Goa. Gowda is part of the party’s central election authority.
The Indian Youth Congress is currently headed by BV Srinivas, who hails from Bhadravati in Shivamogga district. In July 2019, he was appointed in place of Keshav Chand Yadav who resigned from the post after the Lok Sabha polls.
“These appointments show the parties are carefully crafting their strategies, both to deepen their footprint in Karnataka and replicate the template in other southern states ahead of the 2024 Lok sabha polls. Karnataka figures are rising in both parties because it is the only state in the south where both the BJP and Congress are strong,” said a political observer.
Political analyst Sandeep Shastri said: “The reasons why they are picking talent from Karnataka are different in the case of the BJP and Congress. For BJP, the state is their gateway to the south and where they have leaders of some stature with a support base and background of active participation in frontal organisations. Most of those appointed to scentral organisations are people who fit this bill. For Congress, Karnataka has been a major base and a lot of functionaries from here have always been part of the national organisation and in government. Also, one way of dealing with functionalism is to accommodate leaders in the national organisation to get them away from state politics.”
Interestingly, none from Karnataka has made it to the top (national president) except S Nijalingappa who briefly headed the All India Congress Committee in 1968.
Speakers
2023: UT Khader
Five-time Congress MLA from Dakshina Kannada UT Khader was on Wednesday unanimously elected speaker of the Karnataka assembly, becoming the first Muslim to hold this post in the history of Karnataka legislature.
Khader was elected unopposed as the opposition BJP and JD(S) did not field their candidates. He took charge from protem Speaker RV Deshpande.
State flag
The demand, in brief
Johnson T A, July 19, 2017: The Indian Express
Why the flag of Kannada pride has triggered a row
A longstanding demand by Kannada activists for an official state flag exploded into a major controversy on Tuesday, triggering allegations of subverting the Tricolour, and playing the political field ahead of Assembly elections. While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah maintained that nothing unconstitutional was afoot and dared the BJP to publicly reject the demand for an official flag for Karnataka, lost in the political noise were the realities of Kannada subnationalism, and the distinction, articulated by a Home Ministry official in New Delhi, between the “people” and the “state”.
The background
In 2014, Patil Puttappa, a 96-year-old veteran journalist and Kannada activist, and Bheemappa Gundappa, a 56-year-old RTI activist, made a demand for an official flag for Karnataka. On June 6 this year, the Kannada and Culture Department of the state government notified the setting up of a nine-member committee to examine the feasibility and legal issues around the demand. The matter had been reported in the local media at the time, but it was picked up again, and projected as an effort by Karnataka’s Congress government to subvert the national flag and the laws that allow only Jammu and Kashmir to have its own flag. Attack, counterattack BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje alleged the government was “going against the nation” by setting up the committee to look into the demand for a state flag. BJP leaders alleged that the Congress was trying to whip up Kannada pride ahead of the 2018 elections. Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy said there is no provision in the Constitution for a state flag. “The Congress government is using this issue to divert attention from some recent controversies,” he said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has often sided with pro-Kannada activists on issues of local pride, rejected the allegations. “We have constituted a committee to look at the issues in the creation of a state flag. Based on the recommendations of the committee we will take a decision. Karnataka already has an official state song and there is a feeling that there is nothing wrong in having a state flag,” he said. “Having a state flag will not disrupt the unity and integrity of the country and will not reduce the stature of the national flag,” the Chief Minister added. “The national flag will always fly higher that the state flag, there are no two ways about it. Most importantly, the Constitution of India does not ban such flags,” he said.
“An attempt has been made to create a controversy. It is wrong of BJP leaders to spread misinformation. Let them state publicly that there is no need for an official flag for Karnataka. The committee has not been constituted with the Assembly elections in mind. The polls are scheduled only for May next year,” Siddaramaiah said. The committee is yet to meet to discuss the issue, said G S Siddaramayya, chairman of the Kannada Development Authority, who is part of the nine-member panel. In New Delhi, however, the leadership of Siddaramaiah’s own party betrayed nervousness at the turn of events. Sources in the Congress said the party high command felt the issue could be used by the BJP to attack it. It was “out of the question” for the Congress to accept a separate flag, a senior leader said. AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, K C Venugopal, said: “The Chief Minister has already given a clarification. They have not decided anything. The Culture Department of the state has set up the panel. It is not at the Chief Minister’s level. The committee will see whether the demand is admissible… legal points have to be looked into… The BJP wants to create a problem.”
A flag since the 60s
Incidentally, Karnataka has had an unofficial state flag since the mid 1960s when pro-Kannada groups were agitating against the screening of non-Kannada films in the state. The red and yellow flag was created by Kannada writer and activist Ma Ramamurthy for a pro-Kannada political party called the Kannada Paksha, after he observed that many parties representing non-Kannadigas had flags of their own. This unofficial flag is flown every year on November 1, Karnataka’s foundation day, and is a common sight at public places. Pro-Kannada activists have virtually adopted the red and yellow flag as a symbol of state pride. During agitations and protests like those over the sharing of Cauvery water with Tamil Nadu, the red and yellow banner often serves as protection against attacks by mobs — and private vehicles fly the flag in an attempt at ensuring safe passage for themselves. BJP flip-flop
In 2012, Karnataka’s BJP government accorded official status to the Karnataka flag through a notification. Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said in his 2012 Budget speech that it would be compulsory to hoist the state flag on government buildings, schools and colleges. However, Kannada activist Prakash Shetty went to the High Court saying that rival activist T A Narayana Gowda was misusing the state flag for personal gain. During the hearing of the case, the then Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, Vikramajit Sen, raised questions on the legality of states having their own flags when the law permitted only the national flag to be flown officially. The government then said it would not make it mandatory to fly the state flag. Eventually, on October 4, 2012, it withdrew the notification ordering the hoisting of the Kannada flag on government offices on November 1. People and state
In New Delhi, a Home Ministry official told reporters that “We are one nation, one flag”, but “legally, there is no provision either for providing or prohibiting a separate flag for any state”. This issue had been raised earlier too, but such a flag only represents “the people and not the state”, the official said. The Kannada flag was not raised on Republic Day or Independence Day, but on occasions like the state’s foundation day, Ministry sources noted.
February 2018/ Karnataka’s State Flag proposal
February 8, 2018: The Indian Express
If adopted with clearance from the MHA, Karnataka will be the second state after Jammu and Kashmir to have an official state flag. Karnataka has had an unofficial state flag since the mid-1960s, used to signify local pride.
A committee constituted last June by the Kannada and Culture department of the Karnataka government to examine the feasibility of having a separate flag for the state has submitted its report, recommending an official three-coloured flag to replace an unofficial two-coloured one currently used to signify local pride.
Led by chairman of Kannada Development Authority G S Siddaramaya, the nine-member committee has recommended a flag with the yellow and red of the unofficial flag to be separated by white in the middle with the state symbol on it.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the issue will be put up for consideration by the state cabinet before it is forwarded to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for clearance.
The recommendation for an official flag for the state has not, however, been well-received by a few leaders of pro-Kannada groups who have built an identity by working under the banner of the unofficial red and yellow flag.
“The colors recommended for the flag by the panel is not representative of the state. We will oppose this flag if the state government accepts the recommendation,’’ veteran pro-Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj has stated. If adopted with clearance from the MHA, Karnataka will be the second state after Jammu and Kashmir to have an official state flag.
Karnataka has had an unofficial state flag since the mid-1960s, when pro-Kannada groups, including Nagaraj’s, were agitating against screening of non-Kannada films in the state. The red-yellow flag was created by Kannada writer and activist Ma Ramamurthy for a pro-Kannada political party called the Kannada Paksha. This unofficial flag is flown every year on November 1, Karnataka’s foundation day, and is a common sight at public spaces in the state.
2018: Clearance by the cabinet
Chethan Kumar, March 8, 2018: The Times of India
It's almost official now. The proposed yellow-white-and-red flag with the state’s symbol "Gandaberunda" at the centre was formally unveiled by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, whose cabinet is likely to clear the proposal to have a separate flag for Karnataka later in the day.
A nine-member committee had in February submitted a favourable report recommending such a flag for the state nearly nine months after it was constituted. TOI was the first to report that the proposed flag will be a Tricolour and that it would be of yellow, white and red colours, and the government on Wednesday confirmed the same design.
Officials said that the committee was of the opinion that white, symbolising peace, captures Karnataka’s image best along with the two other two colours that have become synonymous with the Kannada identity.
Another official said that the government — after the Cabinet approval — will be writing to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking an amendment to the Flag Code, 2002. “The government will be seeking an amendment to enable provisions of including the Karnataka flag also as one of the symbols in the Flag Code,” the official said.
If the Centre does consider and give its nod for the said amendment, Karnataka will only be the second state in the country to have its own flag after Jammu and Kashmir, which is allowed to have a symbol under Article 370 of the Constitution.
An MHA official from Delhi had told TOI earlier that while there is no provision allowing or disallowing such a flag, there has been no precedence.
“I think the issue is quite serious and it will be seriously examined by the (Union) government. A thorough examination will be required to see what kind of precedent this would set. Also, nuances like what would be the protocol and code for the flag among other issues,” he had said.
Presently, the Flag Code recognises only one flag—the Tricolour—and has rules citizens and organisations must follow to maintain its dignity. If there is an amendment made to accommodate Karnataka’s proposed flag, it will be for the first time that such a symbol has been added to the Code and may pave way for other states to also propose similar symbols in the future.
Ajit Kumar Jha , Hanging in the balance “India Today” 14/5/2018
See graphic
“India Today”
Voting pattern
1980- 2018: Voting against the national ruling party
Sandeep Moudgal, May 23, 2018: The Times of India
Only 2 out of 22 Karnataka CMs have completed their term.
From: Sandeep Moudgal, May 23, 2018: The Times of India
From: Sandeep Moudgal, May 23, 2018: The Times of India
HIGHLIGHTS
Karnataka is mostly ruled by a party that is in the opposition at the Centre
This time, the BJP tried to whip up a wave in favour of their saffron party, but fell short
The 55-hour tenure of BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa is just another aberration in Karnataka's 35-year-old record: the state is mostly ruled by a party that is in the opposition at the Centre.
With the exit of Yeddyurappa and the imminent ascension to power of the Congress-JD(S) combine, things are back to square one. Karnataka will be ruled by a combine that is in opposition at the Centre, and the BJP, heading the ruling coalition in New Delhi, will be sitting in the opposition in Bengaluru.
Since 1983, when Ramakrishna Hegde formed the first non-Congress government in the state, Karnataka has always proved that it swims against the national current. When Hegde's Janata Party came to power, Congress was the ruling party at the Centre.
When the Janata Dal gave way to Congress in Vidhana Soudha in 1989, the National Front led by Janata Dal's V P Singh assumed power in New Delhi.
The exceptions have been brief, like in 2013, when Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah was sworn in and UPA was in power, or when the United Front under H D Deve Gowda was ruling the nation, and Janata Dal's J H Patel was ruling the state.
Perhaps the closest effort made by any party to retain power in Karnataka and Centre at the same time was by the Congress in 2004, and the BJP in 2018. Congress chief minister S M Krishna, who was in power from 1999 to 2004, when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA was ruling at the Centre, advanced elections by six months, sensing a wave in favour of the Congress at the national level. However, Krishna failed to attain a majority and a coalition government of Congress and JD(S) came to power, but did not last long.
A similar situation appeared to be in the making this time too. The BJP's PM Narendra Modi and party national president Amit Shah tried to whip up a wave in favour of their saffron party, and repeatedly reminded the voters of the advantages of having the state ruled by the party that was in power at the Centre too.
The party fell just short of forming a stable government. The resignation of Yeddyurappa suggested yet again that Karnataka "remains awake when the nation sleeps", according to one political analyst.
Interestingly, political analyst Sandeep Shastri cited the fractured mandate of 2018 as being "difficult to analyse".
He said the May 12 results definitely reflected that it was anti-Congress but it was not pro-BJP, thereby making it difficult to take a stance on which way Karnataka was tilting. "But it certainly indicates that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Karnataka will vote individuals who should be in power rather than a party," he said.
2008, 2013, 2014: Congress vs. BJP
March 28, 2018: The Times of India
From: March 28, 2018: The Times of India
_in_Karnataka.jpg)
From: March 28, 2018: The Times of India
From: March 28, 2018: The Times of India
HIGHLIGHTS
Retaining Karnataka is crucial to Congress's claim to being the main anti-BJP force for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
BJP needs a win to regain the momentum it lost after SP and BSP came together to win two prestigious UP bypolls.
The Karnataka poll — the results of which will be announced on May 15 — is already heated with BJP and Congress keenly aware of the importance of the prize: A loss will rob Congress of one of two major states in which it is still in office while BJP needs a win to regain the momentum it lost after SP and BSP came together to win two prestigious UP bypolls despite a saffron victory in Tripura.
2013 (Assembly), 2014 (Parliament)
_and_2014_(Parliament).jpg)
From: April 21, 2018: The Times of India
See graphic:
The pattern of voting in Karnataka in the elections of 2013 (Assembly) and 2014 (Parliament)
Year-wise events
2018, election result
After the elections threw up no clear winner
SC holds hearing at 1.45am/ 16-17 May (2018)
From: Naheed Ataullah & Dhananjay Mahapatra, SC holds hearing at 1.45am after Cong-JD(S) asks it to block Yeddy’s swearing-in at 9am, May 17, 2018: The Times of India
Parties File Joint Petition After Governor Gives BJP 15 Days To Prove Majority In Assembly
After another day of intense political drama in Bengaluru, the action shifted to New Delhi late Wednesday night as the Congress and JD(S) moved the Supreme Court in a bid to stop B S Yeddyurappa, leader of the 104-strong BJP in the Karnataka assembly, from being sworn in as chief minister at 9am today. The 11th-hour legal manoeuvre by the newly minted alliance came after governor Vajubhai Vala invited Yeddyurappa to take oath as CM and gave him 15 days to prove his majority, a decision that instantly triggered a raging controversy because it is seen to give the BJP ample time to entice Congress and JD (S) MLAs-elect to switch sides.
SC officials gathered at the CJI’s residence and went through the petition. There was only one previous instance of the SC agreeing to a late night hearing — when a three-judge bench was set up to hear a plea seeking postponement of the death sentence awarded to Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon. One of the judges on that bench, Justice Dipak Misra, now the CJI, set up another three-judge bench of Justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan to consider the Congress-JD(S) petition. It was announced that the hearing would begin at 1.45am.
The hearing was still on at the time of going to press and it was unclear whether Congress-JD(S) would get the relief they seek. Their arguments revolve around stating that BJP has presented no evidence that it can get the additional eight MLAs it needs to reach the majority mark and the invitation to Yeddyurappa would ensure horse trading.
Congress was represented by Abhishek Manu Singhvi, BJP by former attorneygeneral Mukul Rohatgi and the Centre (read governor) by additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta.
Rohatgi and Mehta were expected to argue that the discretion of the governor cannot be challenged and there were sufficient precedents to support his decision.
Appealed only for conscience vote: BJP
In case the low-key swearingin ceremony goes ahead at Raj Bhavan, it is likely to be skipped by both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. Vala ignored the Congress-JD(S) combine’s claim that their chief ministerial nominee H D Kumaraswamy be given the first opportunity to form the government as the two parties with 116 MLAs between them enjoy a clear majority in the House, which has an effective strength of 222.
Though the decision of the governor, who served as a minister in the BJP government in Gujarat before taking up the constitutional office, was along anticipated lines, it attracted a furious response from Congress and JD(S), which accused him of shaming the Constitution. The two parties rushed to CJI Dipak Misra in the night to secure a “stay” order. They also sought a direction from the court to the governor to invite Kumaraswamy to form the government.
Seeking quashing of the governor’s decision, joint petitioners KPCC chief G Parmeshwara and JD(S) president Kumaraswamy said, “Failure of the governor to invite Congress-JD(S)-BSP alliance which together commands a clear majority of 116 legislators in the assembly is ex facie unconstitutional, illegal and arbitrary.”
Besides privileging Yeddyurappa over Kumaraswamy on the ground that BJP finished as the single largest party, the governor was also attacked for giving Yeddyurappa a fortnight to secure a vote of confidence from the assembly, with Congress alleging that the window would be used to manufacture a mandate. “Fifteen days will be used to turn 104 into 111,” former finance minister P Chidambaram said.
Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy alleged that BJP had offered bribes of Rs 100 crore and a ministerial berth each to JD(S) MLAs to rustle up numbers. Congress also accused BJP of indulging in “horse trading” and spirited its MLAs away to a “safe house” resort in Bidadi, about 30 km south of Bengaluru, to ward off the risk of temptations trumping party loyalty. JD(S) also secured its MLAs at a five-star hotel close to Raj Bhavan.
Independent MLA R Shankar symbolised the tussle for MLAs. The lawmaker was found at Yeddyurappa’s house in the morning. By evening, he was back with the Congress-JD(S) combine and accompanied them to Raj Bhavan. Shankar, a Kuruba like outgoing CM Siddaramaiah, later said he believed the best interests of his constituents would be served by him being with the Congress.
BJP denied the “horse trading” charge and was upfront in acknowledging that it had appealed to MLAs of rival parties to exercise a “conscience vote” — shorthand for a call to defy whips issued by Congress and JD(S).
According to BJP sources, they have already identified MLAs from Congress and JD (S) who can be persuaded to “heed their conscience”. The exercise is focused on Lingayat MLAs belonging to Congress and JD(S) from north Karnataka who, the calculation goes, will have trouble accepting the leadership of Kumaraswamy, a Vokkaliga, and will, instead, prefer to support Yeddyurappa since he is from their community.
The sources admitted that organising the required numbers may not be easy, but hoped to accomplish the “challenge” because of what they called unrest among MLAs of both Congress and JD(S) over the “unnatural alliance” between the two parties.
Congress circles asserted that they would successfully fend of BJP’s efforts to take away their MLAs. “We are vigilant and capable leaders like D K Shivakumar have been given the job to protect the flock. Also, most of our MLAs won against BJP in a bitter battle and will be loath to cross over to the rival camp,” said a senior party leader in Delhi. However, he acknowledged that half a dozen JD(S) MLAs aligned with Kumarswamy’s estranged sibling Revanna could be vulnerable to “generous” offers from BJP. Congress was also not sure whether the lone BSP MLA would be steadfast in his support to the non-BJP camp.
Sriramulu emerges tallest in Ballari
Sandeep Moudgal, Sriramulu emerges tallest in Ballari, May 16, 2018: The Times of India
The Reddy brothers sealed a spectacular rehabilitation into BJP with four from the ‘Reddy group’ winning assembly seats. But it was Ballari MP B Sriramulu who capped his phenomenal rise by wresting Molkalmuru in Chitradurga, outside Ballari.
Once perceived as a lackey of the Reddy brothers, the mining barons of Ballari, the rise of Sriramulu, popularly known as Ramulu, is one for the story books. In this assembly election, seven tickets were given to the Reddys, family members and friends included. Four of them lost. But G Somasekhara Reddy (Bellary City) and G Karunakara Reddy (Harapanahalli) came out victors.
BJP went back to the Reddy brothers to help them in the assembly polls as well as the 2019 Lok Sabha election. With mining czars Anand Singh and B Nagendra, as well as the Ghorpade family, backing Congress, Reddy brothers are the sole mine runners still with BJP.
In this context, Sriramulu was a vital bridge for BJP to maintain close ties with tainted mining baron Janardhana Reddy while publicly staying aloof. As a close aide and friend of Janaradhana Reddy, Sriramulu has become an indispensable component in BJP’s scheme to take the reins of power in Karnataka.
The 46-year-old Sriramulu derives his strength from his Valmiki or Nayaka community (7-8 % of the state electorate) and can be the rallying force for the party considering there are no rivals to stake claim for leadership of the community.
Asked about the likelihood of Sriramulu becoming deputy CM in the event of BJP forming the government, BJP national president Amit Shah neither confirmed nor denied it.
Old enemies turned political friends
How old enemies turn political friends, May 16, 2018: The Times of India
Who said you need friends to form a government? Sworn enemies can bury the hatchet in a flash to for m a gover nment. For years, Congress’ Siddaramaiah has feuded with former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda. But after Tuesday’s results in the Karnataka election, Siddaramaiah has had to accept Gowda’s leadership following a power-sharing deal hammered out by the two parties.
Siddaramaiah and Gowda have a long history — the former was once Gowda’s protégé. But in 2005, Siddaramaiah walked out of JD(S) in a huff after Gowda anointed his son H D Kumaraswamy as his successor.
It is not the first time that foes have turned friends in an effort to gain the top spot. Across the country, last-minute alliances and quick friendships have been forged to for m gover nments.
In April 2015, for instance, when Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad held the hand of Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar and declared him chief ministerial candidate, it seemed like incredible. Onetime colleagues Lalu and Nitish had a bitter falling out and the latter had joined hands with BJP to become Bihar CM for two terms. But they did come together in 2015, only to acrimoniously part ways again.
In Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav struck an alliance for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha byelections in March 2018, ending decades of rivalry and hostility. Mayawati, and Akhilesh’s father Mulayam Singh Yadav had a bitter row in 1995 when she decided to pull support from an SPled coalition government. SP cadres allegedly laid siege to the state guest house to thwart the withdrawal of support. As controversy erupted, the governor dismissed Mulayam and invited Mayawati to form the government.
Further west, Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar revolted against Sonia Gandhi over her “foreign origin” and broke from Congress to form Nationalist Congress Party in May 1999.
But, months later, in September 1999, when the Maharashtra assembly elections threw up a hung mandate, Pawar was back at the Congress’ doorstep seeking a coalition.
The Congress-NCP combine went on to rule Maharashtra for 15 years.
How CJI helped Congress
HIGHLIGHTS
The CJI urgently constituted a three-judge bench for a post-midnight hearing on the Congress-JD(S) combine’s petition which ultimately changed its political fortune
The SC registry cleared the petition at 11.40 pm on Wednesday and it reached CJI Misra’s residence at 12.10 am on Thursday
Chief Justice Dipak Misra has been at the receiving end of Congress’s veiled as well as not-so-veiled attacks since January 12 when four seniormost judges of the Supreme Court , in an extraordinary step, chose to criticise the head of the judiciary.
Congress latched on to the attack on the CJI by his colleagues and cited this to launch a drive to seek his removal. However, with the CJI swiftly responding to Congress’s plea for the top court’s intervention to stall the formation of a BJP government in Karnataka + — with many wondering whether it was his intervention that turned out to be the game changer — the opposition party’s hostility could have been neutralised to some extent.
Discharging his role as master of roster, the CJI on Thursday urgently constituted a three-judge bench for a post-midnight hearing on the Congress-JD(S) combine’s petition which ultimately changed its political fortune. The SC registry cleared the petition at 11.40 pm on Wednesday and it reached CJI Misra’s residence at 12.10 am on Thursday.
The registry needed the CJI’s order to choose judges and find their convenience to list the petition which, according to Congress lawyers, could not brook any delay in view of the governor calling BJP to form government in the state.
The CJI went through the papers quickly and at 12.20 am asked registrar general Ravindra Maithani to get in touch with three judges — Justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan — for an urgent hearing on the petition.
To the credit of the three judges, none of them hesitated for a postmidnight hearing in the SC. Maithani got back to the CJI with the consent of the judges that they would hear the petition at 1.45 pm. Arrangements were made to open Court No.6, ferry staff and court masters to assist the judges in the chamber and the courtroom.
Despite arrangements being made on a war footing, the hearing could start only at 2.10 am.Registry sources said the CJI was in constant touch with the registrar general. The CJI kept awake till the hearing got underway, sources said.. He was prepared to nominate a substitute for any of the judges if situation so warranted. Had the CJI deferred hearing on the petition to Thursday, BJP would have got time to “work on” rival MLAs.
Registry sources said even when the Congress-JD(S) petition challenging appointment of the pro tem speaker was mentioned before the CJI around 8.30 pm on Friday, he immediately ordered it placed before the same bench, which at 9.45 pm decided to hear it.
May 15- 18: the developments
From: May 19, 2018: The Times of India
From: May 19, 2018: The Times of India
See graphics :
The developments between May 15 and 16- 2018
The developments between May 17 and 18- 2018
Appointment of BJP MLA as pro tem speaker
Cong, JD(S) move SC again, against BJP MLA as pro tem speaker, May 19, 2018: The Times of India
A fresh controversy erupted over the appointment of BJP MLA K G Bopaiah as pro tem speaker for the assembly with Congress and JD(S) claiming it went against the convention that the post should go to the seniormost member of the House — in this case, R V Deshpande of Congress.
The combine approached the Supreme Court for the second time in as many days to challenge the appointment, terming it “ex facie unconstitutional and illegal”. A bench of Justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan will hear the plea at 10.30am on Saturday. Bopaiah was sworn in as pro tem speaker by governor Vajubhai R Vala on Friday, within hours of the SC passing an interim order that a pro tem speaker should preside over the trust vote.
The opposition parties allege that Bopaiah was picked because of his antecedents in handling trust votes in a controversial manner. They said Bopaiah had been hauled up by the SC for irregularly disqualifying MLAs during B S Yeddyurappa’s earlier stint as CM. BJP, however, defended the appointment with Union minister Prakash Javadekar tweeting, “K G Bopaiah was appointed pro tem speaker even in 2008 by the then governor. That time Bopaiah was 10 years younger than what he is today. The Congress is thus raising hoax objection. The appointment of Bopaiah Ji is as per rules and regulations.”
The five-term MLA representing Virajpet in Madikeri district will administer oath to 220 newly elected MLAs (JD-S leader H D Kumaraswamy has been elected from two seats and will have to vacate one of them).
Subsequently, he will conduct the trust vote to be moved by CM B S Yeddyurappa. This is perhaps the first time in Karnataka’s legislative history that a pro tem speaker will oversee a trust vote.
Statute mum on pro tem speaker pick
At the meeting held with Congress leaders, 77 of the 78 MLAs were present, indicating no break in their ranks, for now. The lawmakers are expected back in the state capital by early next morning.
The BJP also herded its MLAs into Shangri-la hotel in Bengaluru, the same one used by JD(S) earlier in the week for its MLAs. All, including city MLAs, are expected to be there tonight.
As on the previous two days, rumour mills were abuzz through the day: about Lingayat MLAs of the JD(S)- Congress alliance being in touch with the BJP, and Vokkaliga MLAs in the saffron party cozying up to the combine owing to caste sentiments. The parties rubbished such reports.
The Constitution is silent on who should be appointed the pro tem speaker, though the honour of administering oath to newly-elected MLAs, by convention, goes to the seniormost member of the House. Congress instantly screamed foul, saying the responsibility should have been assigned to R V Deshpande, its veteran MLA who won his eighth term.
The Congress-JD(S) combine moved the SC again, this time expressing fear that Bopaiah might disqualify its members, and sought a directive to the pro tem speaker not to “take up any agenda other than administration of oath and the floor test”.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar refuted the ‘seniority’ convention and pointed out that Bopaiah had been made pro tem speaker by the then governor in 2008 when he was 10 years younger.
Importantly, through its latest petition, which the SC will hear at 10.30am on Saturday, Congress renewed its demand for segregating MLAs supporting and opposing the trust motion in different lobbies. The court had not heeded the demand when it was raised in the morning, and had said the matter should be left to the pro tem speaker. The reiteration of the plea brought out Congress’s fear of defections, although it claimed that except for Anand Singh, all its MLAs had been accounted for. This will be the third floor test that Yeddyurappa will face. In 2007, he resigned ahead of the floor test after JD(S) leadership refused to extend support to his government and in 2011, he comfortably won.
Yeddyurappa exuded confidence, saying he would win the floor test easily and insisted that many Congress-JD(S) MLAs would vote in his favour. “We welcome the Supreme Court ruling... we have already got support of 120 MLAs including 16 from Congress and JD(S) camps and are confident of proving our majority,” Yeddyurappa’s close aide and Udupi-Chikkamagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje said.
There was further drama when Congress released an audio recording of a conversation allegedly between discredited mining baron G Janardhana Reddy and Congress MLA from Raichur Rural (ST) constituency Basannagouda Daddal, in which the former was allegedly heard offering the latter a ministerial post and other inducements and giving examples of two others in the past who he had brought to BJP and helped thrive.
Deve Gowda, Kharge return to centre stage
This week, two Kannadiga veterans have returned from the sidelines to bask in the glory that was considered past them.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress face from Karnataka, and former PM H D Deve Gowda of JD (S), are being talked about in political circles after their promotion on the national stage.
22 years after the “fumble harmer” became the prime minister, and following many years of diminishing profile that was viewed as his fading away, Gowda is suddenly back to holding forth on national politics — he is speaking about the dynamics of ‘grand opposition alliance” for 2019.
The rejuvenation of the fading patriarch stems from his son HD Kumaraswamy’s unlikely ascension to chief ministership of Karnataka.
Gowda turned Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in into an opposition jamboree, with anti-BJP satraps from Mamata Banerjee to Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav to Congress brass led by Sonia Gandhi descending on the venue. It became a show of strength of the “secular alliance”.
Mirroring the spike in the fortunes of his foe from Karnataka assembly, Kharge has become the AICC general secretary, entrusted with the task of the important state of Maharashtra. The weighty organisational assignment added to his portfolio of leader of Congress in Lok Sabha and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. For Gowda, there has been no looking back since his son presided over the opposition show in Bengaluru last month. Many feel Gowda senses that situation in 2018 is similar to 1996 when fate pitchforked him onto the national scene.
A satrap who signed on Gowda’s election as PM explained that he benefitted from North Indian leaders — Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad, Ajit Singh, Sharad Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan et al — refusing to agree on each other’s candidature. It was plain envy or overlapping political constituencies. A Congress leader from Karnataka said Gowda recently told his supporters that he would “lead the Mahayuti” in 2019.
In case of Kharge, the AICC appointment triggered speculations if it meant that he would quit the post of party leader in LS and Rahul Gandhi will take charge himself. But Congress managers denied the possibility.
Shivakumar apologises for Cong supporting Lingayats’ separate identity
DKS apology on Lingayat issue leaves Cong red-faced, October 19, 2018: The Times of India
In an embarrassment to former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday apologised “with folded hands” on behalf of the previous Congress regime for supporting the Lingayats’ cause of seeking a separate identity. It was the Siddaramaiah cabinet which had recommended religious minority tag for the Lingayats.
Shivakumar aplogised on the sensitive Lingayat issue at the Rambhapuri peetha in Laxmeshwar in Gadag district, 390 km from Bengaluru. Elaborating on his apology to the media in Bengaluru on Thursday, Shivakumar said the Congress government had made a mistake and added that no government should interfere on issues of religion, caste or culture.
“The Congress government of which I was also a part made the mistake and we also saw the consequences in the 2018 polls. The issue was rankling in my mind as it was against my conscience. I found an appropriate time and opportunity to express my feelings,” he said.
All the Lingayat ministers who had rallied for seeking a separate identity for their community lost in the May assembly polls.
Shivakumar said the then Congress government should not have buckled under pressure from the Lingayat lobby when a petition was given. “The government constituted a panel, recommended a religious minority tag to the Lingayats, which was rejected by the Centre. Getting involved in caste and religion issues is not the work of any government,” he maintained.
The minister’s statement was slammed by his former cabinet colleagues from the Lingayat community, Vinay Kulkarni and M B Patil, who were in the forefront of seeking a separate tag for the community.
Siddaramaiah affinity with Congress top brass
Naheed Ataulla, December 25, 2018: The Times of India
What explains Siddaramaiah’s easy rapport with and sway over the Congress high command? For one, after many years the Congress leadership now has in the former chief minister a leader from Karnataka who will speak his views on issues while getting the top brass to agree to his line of thinking.
Siddaramaiah wears many political hats — chairman of the JD(S)-Congress coordination committee, party leader on the floor of the legislative assembly and member of the party’s highest decision-making body, the CWC. But what sets him apart from other Congress leaders in Karnataka is he has managed to get the ears of the party high command, which observers put down to Siddaramaiah’s inimitable style of getting across his opinion.
Siddaramaiah’s stamp has been clear in everything from getting the party leadership to agree to his contesting from two constituencies in the 2018 assembly elections, and to candidates he recommended for the assembly and council elections and in the recent cabinet expansion/reshuffle. While many maintain that he is arrogant, “In Siddaramaiah’s case — naan helide sari [what I say is right] is backed by reasoning which everybody has to buy,” a source said.
His adamant resistance to a dyCM during his tenure and refusal to bring on board presidents of Congress and JD(S) state units on the coordination committee are instances of this phenomenon.
“Luck is favouring Siddaramaiah and things are moving the way he wants,” a senior Congress leader said. However, he admitted that all Siddaramaiah’s decisions are based on social engineering, even if a few, like getting former minister SR Patil the post of legislative council chairman or encouraging the Lingayats to seek a separate identity, have misfired.
With state leaders dithering, the cabinet rejig could have been postponed further, sources said. “But Siddaramaiah put his foot down, got the list of probable ministers prepared and placed it before AICC president Rahul Gandhi,” a source said.
Party insiders recalled that former CMs D Devaraj Urs (at the fag end of his tenure) and S Bangarappa, both recognised as champions of backward classes like Siddaramaiah, were also outspoken but only once they rebelled. Another advantage for Siddaramaiah is said to be Rahul’s decision to identify regional leaders with Captain Amarinder Singh’s emergence in Punjab and the fact Karnataka was the only state that the Congress held in in 2013.
“The Congress high command also wants a person who can take all communities along. Siddaramaiah fits the bill,” another source said.
By-elections: Cong-JDS win 4, BJP 1
From: Naheed Ataulla & Anil Gejji, Boost for opposition unity as Cong-JDS wins 4-1 in K’taka, November 7, 2018: The Times of India
Wrests BJP Bastion Ballari From Mining Baron Reddy
It was a Diwali boost for the ruling JD(S)- Congress in Karnataka with the coalition partners bagging two of the three Lok Sabha seats and both assembly constituencies for which results were declared on Tuesday.
While the coalition expectedly retained JD(S) strongholds Mandya (Lok Sabha) and Ramanagara (assembly), Congress wrested the prestigious Ballari Lok Sabha seat which has been in the grip of mining baron G Janardhan Reddy and his associate, BJP MLA B Sreeramulu, since 2004 without a break.
The change of hands reflects the new balance of power in the state with Congress winning six of eight assembly constituencies after the May state polls. The results of the current bypolls, where BJP was able to win only the Shivamogga LS seat, underline the task before the saffron party ahead of the 2019 general elections if it is to defend its 2014 tally of 17 of the state’s 28 seats. Ballari is the 10th Lok Sabha seat that BJP held in 2014 but has now lost in subsequent bypolls, reducing its tally in the House from 282 to 273. The results will encourage JD(S) and Congress to face the Lok Sabha elections together despite their differences.
Though some of the coalition victories were expected, the huge margins over BJP nominees disproved reports of a close fight in Jamakhandi assembly seat and Ballari. In Ballari, Congress nominee V S Ugrappa defeated J Shantha of BJP, a former MP, by a record 2.9 lakh votes while in Jamakhandi, Congress nominee Anand Nyamagouda defeated BJP’s Srikanth Kulkarni by 39,000 votes.
The results are a leg up for opposition unity talks with Congress and regional non-NDA parties considering state-wise alliances.
Congress-JD(S) unity liberates ‘Republic of Ballari’
The ‘Republic of Ballari’ — a term given in the Lokayukta report on illegal mining under mining czar G Janardhana Reddy and his confidant, BJP MLA B Sreeramulu — has crumbled with Congress regaining the Lok Sabha seat after 14 years in the Karnataka bypolls, the results of which were declared.
It was an equally poised contest for both Congress-JD(S) combine nominee VS Ugrappa and BJP’s J Shantha (Sreeramulu’s sister), where caste and candidates were secondary, with Ballari being a reserved constituency for the Scheduled Tribes.
The outcome has established the political supremacy of Karnataka minister D K Shivakumar, who was in charge of the Congress campaign. While Shivakumar descended on the district with ministers and party functionaries, Sreeramulu became the lone ranger with hardly any support from the party. Reddy has been banned by the Supreme Court from entering the Ballari district.
Besides, Reddy’s insensitive remark that the death of former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s son Rakesh was “God’s punishment for separating him (Reddy) from his children and putting him in jail” caused embarrassment to BJP. State unit president B S Yeddyurappa had to ask Reddy to apologise for the remark.
Significantly, Shivakumar, known for his organising skills during poll campaigns, apologised for the then Siddaramaiah government evincing interest in the Lingayats’ demand for a separate identity and recommending a religious minority tag to them. This was one of the factors behind the defeat of Lingayat ministers in the Siddaramaiah government in the assembly polls.
According to political analysts, the strategy worked as Ballari district has a large Lingayat population, who are said to have voted for the party in this bypoll. BJP losing the seat which it had held since 2004 demonstrated the fact that Sreeramulu, considered as a leader of the Valmiki (ST) community, cannot single handedly deliver victory to the party. In previous polls, he had the support of the Reddys and BJP.
The Ballari defeat has shaken the BJP leaders who had taken it for granted that it had become their bastion. The victory for Congress has sent across the message that the party which was divided in the district can deliver results if they sink their differences.
The rise of Shivakumar
Two political coups by water resources minister D K Shivakumar in the bypolls which concluded on Tuesday have reinforced the fact that the ‘Chanakya of poll management’ can turn difficult constituencies in favour of the Congress party.
The party’s victory in the Ballari Lok Sabha bypoll is a classic example. Congress wrested the seat from the BJP after losing it 14 years ago. The winning margin of 2.4 lakh votes was also a record of sorts. The Congress could not muster that margin even when former AICC president Sonia Gandhi contested in 1999 (56,000 votes).
The second coup was in the Ramanagara assembly bypoll — BJP candidate L Chandrashekar retired two days before the election and returned to the Congress, handing Anitha Kumaraswamy, the JD(S)-Congress alliance candidate, a virtual walkover.
Shivakumar’s intervention in Ramanagara was perhaps unnecessary as victory for Anitha + was a foregone conclusion since she was way ahead of the BJP candidate in terms of popularity. But Congress sources say Shivakumar chose to turn the situation to his advantage to send the message across to Congress and JD(S) workers that he and his brother, MP D K Suresh, still hold the upper hand in the region despite the constituency being represented by chief minister H D Kumaraswamy’s wife.
Shivakumar rose to prominence in May this year when, during the formation of the coalition government, he kept the Congress-JD(S) coalition flock intact, despite strident attempts by the BJP to poach MLAs and save the three-day-old B S Yeddyurappa government.
Milind Dharmasena, general secretary of the state Congress campaign committee, who worked with Shivakumar in the recent polls, said, “He does his homework thoroughly of the constituency he is given charge. He studies the strengths and weaknesses of the party and then delegates responsibilities. Workers are debriefed every day. The first thing Shivakumar did after stepping into Ballari constituency was to bring all the local party leaders together and instil confidence in them.”
Shivakumar’s political approach to issues has irked the party on various occasions, but it has fetched results. His apology on behalf of the Siddaramaiah government for giving in to the demand for separate religion status for Lingayats is a case in point. He was slammed by many Lingayat Congress leaders, but it fetched votes for the party in Ballari.
Shivakumar has more enemies in the Congress than outside. Seniors in the party say he is too brash. He has never concealed his ambition of becoming the chief minister. In one of his election speeches in May, Shivakumar said: “Is it wrong to nurture ambitions of becoming a CM? I will wait for all communities including a Dalit to become CM. I will wait my turn. Age is on my side.’’ The BJP is reported to have wooed him with offers of various titles and positions, but he has kept the saffron party at bay. Party sources say Shivakumar is biding his time and is aiming for a bigger role in politics and the Vokkaliga community. To that end, he is now making the right moves of patching up with his political adversaries.
2018- celebration of Tipu Jayanti
Government celebrates 'Tipu Jayanthi'
Protests by the BJP and right-wing outfits coupled with the absence of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his deputy marked the 'Tipu Jayanthi' celebrations in Karnataka. Tipu Jayanthi is celebrated to observe the birth anniversary of controversial 18th-century ruler of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom, Tipu Sultan.
The celebrations brought the state under a thick security blanket, amid threats of protests by the BJP and other organisations, with the main event in Bengaluru turning out to be lacklustre.
Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, who was to inaugurate the main event at Vidhana Soudha, the seat of state legislature here, in the absence of Kumaraswamy, also skipped the function.
Kumaraswamy did not attend the event, citing doctors' advice to take rest for three days till November 11.
The chief minister's office had made prior announcement about Kumaraswamy's inability to attend the function and his name was also not printed in the invitation.
Parameshwara did not attend the event as he was out of town, sources at his office told PTI, without divulging any details.
Following the chief minister's decision to skip the event, reports had emerged about difference of opinion between the ruling coalition partners over the celebrations.
While in the opposition, Kumaraswamy had questioned the need for such celebration which was started by the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government.
Kumaraswamy reportedly chose to skip the event to not antagonise voters in his party's bastion of old Mysuru region, as Tipu Sultan had seized power from Maharajas of Mysuru, who are virtually revered there.
The Chief Minister's Office (CMO), however, issued a statement on Kumaraswamy's absence at the event.
Wishing success for Tipu Jayanti celebrations, the JD(S) leader said Tippu's progressive measures in administration, his quest for innovation were "commendable".
He said as he was taking rest on doctor's advice, he was unable to take part in the programme.
"It is unnecessary to add special meaning to it. It is also far from truth that he is not taking part due to the fear of losing power, as he opposes such blind beliefs," the CMO statement said.
This was the first such celebration of 'Tipu Jayanti' after the Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) coalition government came to power in the state.
The previous Congress government led by Siddaramaiah began celebrating Tipu Jayanthi on November 10 every year since 2015, amid stiff opposition by the BJP, several Hindu organisations and some individuals.
BJP and several right-wing organisations held protests in different parts of the state opposing the celebrations.
Calling Tipu a "religious bigot", the state BJP unit had urged the state government to drop its decision to celebrate the Jayanthi.
In Kodagu district, where celebrations in 2015 were marred by widespread protests and violence, Tipu Jayanthi Virodhi Horata Samithi called for a bandh.
VHP worker Kuttappa had dled in Kodagu district during a clash that erupted during the Tipu Jayanthi that year.
BJP workers along with MLA M P Appacchu Ranjan were detained by police at Madikeri in Kodagu district for protesting against the event after he allegedly had an argument with the police for not letting those without invitations to attend the event.
Another BJP MLA and former assembly speaker K G Bopaiah was detained in Virajpet during the protest, police said.
In Mangaluru, some protesters tried to barge into the zilla panchayat office with black flags where the event was being organised. The protestors were later detained by police.
In Yellapura of Uttara Kannada district too, there were reports of detaining protesters.
Similar protests were reported from Chikkamagaluru, Ballari, Karwar and various parts of the state.
Police have clamped prohibitory orders in most of the districts in the state as a precautionary measure.
Extra security arrangements have been made in districts like Kodagu, Chitradurga, and also coastal regions among others where local communities are opposed to the celebrations.
Tipu Sultan was considered an implacable enemy of the British East India Company. He was killed in May 1799 while defending his fort at Srirangapatna against the British forces.
The ruler, however, is a controversial figure in Kodagu district as Kodavas (Coorgis), a martial race, believe that thousands of their men and women were seized and held captive during his occupation and subjected to torture, death and forcible conversion to Islam.
He is also accused of execution of Mandayam Iyengars at the temple town of Melkote in Mandya district on the day of Deepavali festival, as they supported the then Maharaja of Mysuru.
Tipu Sultan is seen in a negative light in the coastal Dakshina Kannada district too, where the Christians believe he unleashed atrocities on their community.
However, the scale of such suppression is disputed by several historians, who see Tipu as a secular and modern ruler who took on the might of the British.
Meanwhile, a group of Muslim leaders along with state minister Zammer Ahmed Khan Saturday met senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah and honoured him on the occasion of Tipu Jayanthi.
Calling Tipu a "good administrator," Siddaramaiah hit out at the BJP for opposing Tipu Jayanti celebrations, while reminding about saffron party leaders attending similar events while in power.
CM, Dy CM skip the Congress-only event
HDK, dy CM skip Tipu anniv event, November 11, 2018: The Times of India
What was touted as the coalition government’s joint decision to host the fourth official celebrations of Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary on Saturday, turned into a wholly-Congress affair, with chief minister HD Kumaraswamy skipping the event, and no JD (S) minister attending it.
While Kumaraswamy had already cited his health for not attending the event, what caused the coalition government a bigger embarrassment was the absence of deputy CM G Parameshwara, who is travelling abroad. Overall, the celebrations saw a lukewarm response.
The Congress production of Tipu Jayanti celebrations gave water resources minister DK Shivakumar, and minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, the opportunity to grab the limelight.
2019
The Jan crisis: More hype than substance?
Manu Aiyappa, January 28, 2019: The Times of India
At the height of attempts to poach Congress legislators recently, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda said he had never in his six-decade political career seen horse trading on the scale the BJP was trying to pull off.
With voters returning fractured verdicts in four of the last five assembly elections, horse trading has been more the norm than an exception in Karnataka politics. However, over the last couple of weeks, the BJP has taken poaching to a much higher orbit with its repeated attempts to topple the JD(S)-Congress government. If senior Congress and JD(S) leaders are to be believed, disgruntled legislators are being offered staggering deals of between Rs 20 crore and Rs 60 crore to join the BJP.
But sources privy to these underhand deals told TOI that while MLAs are being offered far more cash than a few years ago, there is more hype than substance when it comes to negotiating. Some MLAs say the offer starts at Rs 1 crore and rises to about Rs 10 crore as speculation and political churnings gain momentum.
So, how much money does a turncoat MLA actually get? Part of the answer is in the ‘packages’ that are on offer. First, there is the cash-plus-ticket package. This includes cash (Rs 5 crore-Rs 15 crore) plus an offer of a party ticket to contest elections. This deal is offered to those who are uncertain of winning from their ‘parent’ party, or those who aren’t confidant about securing a party ticket.
Then, there is cash (Rs 5 crore-Rs 10 crore) and position package. This is the most attractive option since it carries relatively low risks. Potential defectors are paid cash and offered a position (ministries/heads of boards and corporations) in the new government.
There is also the cash-only package (Rs 1 crore-Rs 5 crore), which MLAs say is hard to resist. This deal is offered to vote/cross-vote during Rajya Sabha elections among other polls. But it’s a risky proposition, particularly for those with party affiliations since it could expose the identity of those who could turn their backs on their own parties.
These packages also fetch a “premium” when legislators are being lured to form a government. In such situations, the MLA could also increase his/her stake by claiming they are being offered “big fortunes” by their own parties.
HOW MONEY IS TRANSFERRED
A former MLA said legislators are commonly paid in cash through a third party. The third party could be a business magnate, a corporate company, a rich party leader or just a political broker.
Besides cash, there are other inducements on offer too such as plots (BDA sites), luxury SUVs and upmarket flats. During elections to the Rajya Sabha some time ago, a businessman candidate offered each MLA a SUV, while a senior leader was reportedly given a high-end flat in the central business district area.
An analysis by the Karnataka Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms of assets of MLAs of the current assembly reveals that 215 (97%) are crorepatis. Also 16 MLAs have declared assets over Rs 100 crore.
DOES CASH RULE?
A senior JD(S) leader said it’s not true that all MLAs are lured by cash.
“Only independent and cash-starved MLAs crave cash while most demand a cabinet berth with a lucrative portfolio,” the leader said. “Some like Congress leader Ramesh Jarkiholi decide to quit because they are upset with the way the party leadership treats them, or when they see a threat to their political future.”
Lamenting the growing influence of horse trading in politics, a senior leader from Mysuru said: “The money factor is turning the assembly into an elite club and putting it beyond the reach of those who enter politics with a social-service mindset. It has compelled some parties to look for wealthy candidates to pay not only their own members to prevent them from switching sides, but also to buy additional members to get votes or form government.”
March: Seat sharing by different political parties, respectively
Anil Gejji, March 15, 2019: The Times of India
The decision of the Congress to cede four Lok Sabha seats to the JD(S) — which are outside the regional party’s stronghold of old-Mysuru region — has triggered debate in political circles with most contending that the Congress bent backwards to please its junior partner in its goal to defeat the BJP in Karnataka.
Many Congress leaders feel the 20:8 formula which the parties agreed to, will only give the JD(S) solace, but it won’t help realise the primary goal of defeating BJP. They say barring Vijayapura, the chances of the JD(S) winning the Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru seats are bleak. This is because the JD(S) not only lacks leaders of calibre, but also organisational strength. They say the party will have to piggyback on Congress from the word go.
The performance of the JD(S) in the 2018 assembly and 2014 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls in these seats suggests the argument does hold water. In the assembly elections, the JD(S) in Uttara Kannada polled a total 1.3 lakh votes in all the eight assembly segments as against the 4 lakh votes the Congress recorded. Around 4.9 lakh voters had favoured the BJP.
In Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, the party’s vote share in all eight assembly segments put together was a mere 90,000, whereas the Congress polled 4,06,580 votes. Incidentally, the JD(S) has not won a single assembly segment in these two seats. In Vijayapura and Shivamogga, the party has done marginally better by getting over 2.5 lakh votes in each. But it still lagged behind the Congress with over two lakh votes in both the seats.
In Lok Sabha polls, the JD(S) fared dismally in these seats. In 2014, the party mustered a mere 1.4% of the votes polled and 5.9% in Vijayapura. In Shivamogga it got 21% votes thanks to Geetha Shivarajkumar, daughter of late former CM S Bangarappa.
“Looking at these results, common sense suggests these seats should have gone to the Congress as it would have ensured a tough fight,” said a Congress leader from Kittur which falls under Uttara Kannada seat. He also dismissed the argument that since both the parties are fighting election as allies, there will be a natural transfer of votes from Congress to JD(S).
Good riddance
However, a section of Congress leaders feel the decision to leave Uttara Kannada and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru to the JD(S) is a well thought-out move. “The Congress has not won these two seats for a long time now,” said a leader. “Moreover, the party had no formidable candidates to take on BJP in these seats.”
BJP makes inroads into Muslim-dominated segments
Manu Aiyappa, June 2, 2019: The Times of India
From: Manu Aiyappa, June 2, 2019: The Times of India
BJP makes inroads into Muslim-dominated segments of Karnataka
BENGALURU: It is apparent that the BJP is not the first choice for Muslim voters, but the party has gained significant acceptability in many Muslim-dominated constituencies in the state, a factor that helped it shape its big victory in the Lok Sabha polls + .
While the Congress candidate has got more votes than BJP’s in all the seven assembly constituencies represented by Muslim MLAs in Karnataka, the BJP candidate has gained significantly compared to the 2014 LS elections.
The obvious outcome is that the BJP has improved its vote share in most Muslim-dominated seats in the state. Pointing to the Lokniti post poll data, political analyst Sandeep Shastri said the survey shows 15% of the Muslim vote went to BJP in Karnataka. “This is lower than the BJP’s tally in the assembly polls, but higher than what it secured in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections,” Shastri said. “This could be because there was a majority consolidation in Karnataka leading to a minority consolidation too.”
For instance, the vote share of BJP has increased 5-10% in Shiva jinagar represented by R Roshan Baig, Chamarajpet represented by BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan and Shanthinagar represented by NA Haris, although the saffron party stood second in all three assembly seats compared to the 2014 LS polls.
This is also true in case of Mangaluru represented by UT Khader and Narsimharaja (Mysuru) assembly segment represented by Tanveer Sait. The pattern was the same in 22 other assembly constituencies where the Muslim community has an electorate of 25-30%.
However, the BJP’s vote share in Kalaburagi North, represented by Kaneez Fatima, widow of former minister Qamar-ul-Islam, the sole Muslim woman to have won in the 2018 assembly polls, and Bidar represented by minister Rahim Khan, has dwindled compared to 2014.
“The popular perception that Muslims did not consider the BJP a politically untouchable party in the Modi era is wrong,” said a BJP leader. “Muslim support to the BJP is very revealing. Muslims, it appears, remained conscious of local level politics and ignored the anti-Muslim rhetoric created by Congress and voted for BJP,” he said.
However, Congress leader AM Hindasgeri said the consolidation of Muslim votes in the Modi-era has been like never before in these polls since the BJP is seen as anti-minority party. “But Muslims were angrier with the Congress since it did not consider at least three Muslim candidates to contest the polls,” he said. “If this discrimination continues, minorities will have no choice but to support the BJP or other parties in future polls.”
July/ Cong-JD(S) govt falls
July 24, 2019: The Times of India
From: July 24, 2019: The Times of India
See graphic:
The 18 days of political uncertainty in Karnataka/ July 2019
The turbulent tenure of the JD(S)-Congress government came to an end, exactly 14 months after it assumed office, after the coalition lost the trust vote moved by chief minister H D Kumaraswamy 99-105. This brought down the curtains on the 18-day political drama and paved the way for the formation of a BJP government under BS Yeddyurappa.
Twenty MLAs, including two6 independents, 15 rebels and the lone BSP member, stayed away from the vote. The BSP MLA was expelled from the party by Mayawati for ignoring her directive to vote for the ruling coalition.
With Kumaraswamy’s exit, the JD(S)-Congress combine becomes the fifth coalition government to go before its term in Karnataka, upholding the state’s record of entertaining no coalition for its full tenure. Police have imposed prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144 across Bengaluru for two days to ensure there is no untoward incident.
BSY likely to stake claim today
Though aware that he did not have the numbers, the CM insisted on a division of votes in a bid to build a case against the 15 rebel MLAs. Both Congress and JD(S) have moved disqualification petitions before speaker KR Ramesh Kumar and the process is expected to get on track once the Supreme Court decides on the issue. On Tuesday, the apex court said it would wait and watch before deciding on the pleas linked to the trust vote and issue of party whips. Soon after losing the floor test, Kumaraswamy drove to Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation to governor Vajubhai R Vala around 8.40pm. Vala asked Kumaraswamy to continue in office till alternative arrangements are made. Yeddyurappa is expected to stake claim on Wednesday to form the government.
The speaker has so far reserved his decision on the resignation of the MLAs and their disqualification. On Tuesday, he met the lawyers of the rebel MLAs who sought four weeks’ time to appear before him. KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao said: “Our advocate has argued on our behalf before the speaker on the disqualification petition. These members who have betrayed us will stand to get disqualified. It is a fit case for the anti-defection law to apply.”
Former Congress MP VS Ugrappa said the Congress-JD(S) rebels gave up the party’s membership and have placed evidence in front of the speaker. “There are eight petitions in which 16 MLAs are involved. The speaker issued a notice to all rebels stating that there will be a final hearing to the disqualification issue. On behalf of them, some of the advocates appeared and made arguments that disqualification petitions are not maintainable,” said Ugrappa.
BJP’s strategy of ‘speaking less’
ManuAiyappa Kanathanda, July 24, 2019: The Times of India
The BJP’s strategic gambit to “speak less and listen more” paid off in the legislative assembly, with six days of patience and hard work helping the party defeat CM H D Kumaraswamy’s confidence motion.
“It was not easy to be quiet, especially with members of the treasury benches attacking senior leaders of our party with all kinds of allegations. It required a lot of patience and planning,” BJP member Aravind Bellad said.
Ahead of the trust vote, the party had given five MLAs — J C Madhuswamy, Jagadish Shettar, Basavaraj Bommai, S Suresh Kumar and C T Ravi — the task of dealing with questions raised by the Speaker and members of the Congress-JD(S) coalition.
“It took us two days to convince our leader, B S Yeddyurappa, not to react to tantrums by the treasury benches during the course of the debate,” said a BJP leader.
In October 2010, when BJP was in power, 16 MLAs, including 11 from the party, were disqualified under the anti-defection law by then Speaker K G Bopaiah ahead of a crucial trust vote that Yeddyurappa moved, purportedly to change the configuration of the House and maintain status quo on its strength.
Wary of a repeat, BJP had asked its usual troublemakers to sit tight and keep their own counsel. M P Renukacharya, Aravind Limbavali, A S Patil Nadahalli and Hartal Halappa, in particular, were warned not to get carried away under any circumstance.
BJP wins trust vote, speaker quits
July 30, 2019: The Times of India
BSY wins trust vote, K’taka speaker quits
Bengaluru:
Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa proved his majority in the assembly without breaking a sweat, setting the ball rolling for cabinet formation with the BJP leadership’s nod in Delhi. The win somewhat erased memories of his trust vote 14 months ago when he had to resign on the floor of the House, admitting he did not have the numbers.
Since then, the BJP tally went up by just one to 105, but it was enough to tide through a House reduced to 208 members after the disqualification of 17 Congress-JD(S) rebels. The Congress-JD(S) did not press for a division.
Soon after, speaker KR Ramesh Kumar quit, pre-empting any move to oust him .
CM BSY talks of ‘forgive & forget’ after trust vote
The BSY government will be in place for at least six months as a noconfidence motion cannot be moved prior to that period.
Soon after the trust vote, the assembly passed the finance bill for three months along with the supplementary budget, clearing the way for payment of government salaries and bills. Immediately thereafter, speaker KR Ramesh Kumar announced his resignation, pre-empting any move by BJP to move a no-confidence motion against him.
In his submission before the trust vote, Yediyurappa reiterated his stance of “forget and forgive” and assured the opposition that he would not do vendetta politics for the remainder of his term of three years and 10 months. The CM said his topmost priority was to bring the administration back on track, claiming it had been derailed in the past 14 months. Strongly reacting to the statement, Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy said it was a “baseless” allegation. Kumaraswamy said Yediyurappa must provide evidence in the House as to how the administration was derailed.
The two leaders, who were at the centre of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, said Yediyurappa was seeking a trust vote to form an undemocratic government. “I strongly condemn the trust vote sought by Yediyurappa as the BJP government is unconstitutional and undemocratic,” said Siddaramaiah.
Kumaraswamy alleged that BJP continued to “engineer” more resignations. “I know that you (BJP) are still trying to force more of our MLAs to resign. Let them be in peace and concentrate on your own government.”
I Monetary Advisory Group
June 18, 2019: The Times of India
Bengaluru Ponzi scam: How racket eroded public trust in Muslim politicians, clergy
BENGALURU: Numerous Ponzi schemes in Karnataka have duped people of their money, but the I Monetary Advisory (IMA) Group scam has done irreparable damage to middle-class investors while simultaneously eroding public trust in Muslim politicians and ulemas (Islamic scholars).
Politicians of the minority community admitted that their credibility was at stake because some of them had, through their public association with IMA’s founder-owner Mohammed Mansoor Khan, given legitimacy to his criminal enterprise. They said the impact of the swindle by Ambidant Marketing Pvt Ltd, whose business model was similar to IMA’s, would pale in comparison to the negative fallout from the IMA rip-off.
“Politicians were spotted with Mansoor at public functions he hosted such as mushairas (poetic symposiums),” a source said. “But Mansoor actually got ulemas to endorse his audit books. Two years ago he brought out a booklet based on these endorsements, stating that all investments in his firm were halal (permissible).”
A senior Muslim Congress leader said there is a crisis of confidence among the community towards politicians and ulemas.
“Certain ulemas, instead of speaking on the Quran’s teachings in their Friday sermons, asked their congregations to pray for the welfare of Mansoor and his companies,” he said. “Some of them even issued fatwas endorsing his business, when most of them were unaware of how financial institutions should operate.”
Sources said a majority of Muslim politicians were beneficiaries of Mansoor’s largesse either through election funding or projects like renovation of government schools.
“The fact that they were seen with Mansoor gave confidence to people who had some savings,” one source said.
In Karnataka, Muslim political leadership has largely been the monopoly of the Congress. But Muslim leaders have never been able to unite as a consolidated entity. “Jealousy among leaders, political machinations to upstage one another and a generation gap are the reasons that the community does not speak in one voice,” a source said.
That the Congress gave just one ticket to the community in the recent Lok Sabha polls, when the norm in the past was two to three, has demotivated Muslim leaders. “The party leadership has taken the community for granted. The Lok Sabha polls, in which many Muslims voted for the BJP, should be an eye-opener,” a source said.
Members of the community said there has been no true Muslim leader after former minister Azeez Sait, who passed away in 2001, and was known for his no-nonsense stand on issues.
“Money power works now, which is not my style of functioning,” a Muslim Congress leader said. “The Congress sidelined people like K Rahman Khan, CK Jaffer Sharief (when he was alive), CM Ibrahim and K Naseer Ahmed for their forthright views.”
Young politicians like Rizwan Arshad, UT Khader, NA Haris and Syed Naseer Hussain wield considerable influence in the party, but are yet to strike a chord with the community, he said.
SC order on K'taka rebels: Good or bad for BJP?
Nov 14, 2019: The Times of India
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court upheld the disqualification of the 17 rebel MLAs by the Karnataka speaker, but allowed the petitioners to contest the upcoming bypolls in the state.
Bypolls to 15 of the 17 assembly seats which fell vacant following the disqualification of the MLAs are scheduled on December 5 and the candidates are required to file their nomination papers by November 18. Elections to two constituencies have been withheld in a different case.
With the disqualification of the 17 MLAs, the assembly strength was reduced from 225 to 208. With 15 seats going to polls, the effective strength of the assembly will now be 223. The BJP has 105 MLAs and the support of an Independent.
This means that to reach the majority mark of 112 (in a 223-member assembly) on its own, the party must win at least seven of the 15 seats. In 2018, out of the 15 poll-bound seats, the Congress had won 11 and the JD(S) three.
However, whether the BJP manages to perform well in the bypolls depends on a lot of factors.
In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress and JD(S) contested the elections separately but formed a post-poll alliance. However, both parties broke their alliance after the fall of the H D Kumaraswamy government and will now contest the bypolls separately. The Congress has already announced candidates for eight of the 15 seats.
With the Supreme Court order, the BJP is now likely to field the rebel MLAs, who fought on Congress and JD(S) tickets in the 2018 assembly polls, on most of the seats. Moreover, the party's likely decision to reward tickets to the rebel legislators could also lead to discontent among local leaders who are likely to knock on Congress and JD(S) doors if ignored by the BJP.
The disqualified MLAs are: Pratap Gowda Patil, BC Patil, Shivram Hebbar, ST Somashekar, Byrati Basavaraj, Anand Singh, R Roshan Baig, N Munirathna, K Sudhakar and MTB Nagaraj, Shrimant Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumatalli and R Shankar (all Congress). JD(S) members who faced action are K Gopalaiah, AH Vishwanath and KC Narayana Gowda.
BJP wins 12 of 15 bypolls, achieves majority
The fourmonth-old BJP government’s gambit of fielding 13 defectors in the Karnataka byelections paid off big time as the party won 12 of the 15 seats that went to polls. Chief minister BS Yediyurappa now has an absolute majority with 117 seats in the current assembly with the effective strength of 223 MLAs.
The Lingayat strongman has emerged as the big winner of the bypolls as he led the campaign. His strategy of rewarding defectors and promising them ministerial positions on victory — against much opposition from partymen — worked with voters seeming to prioritise stability over qualms about electing turncoats.
Congress was a distant runner-up, winning just two seats. Ex-PM HD Deve Gowda’s JD(S) drew a blank. A BJP rebel who contested with JD(S) support was the lone independent to win. BJP required minimum six seats to stay afloat in Karnataka, but it went on to win 12 seats.
Sidda quits as LoP after bypoll jolt
Accepting responsibility for the drubbing, Siddaramaiah resigned as leader of the opposition in the assembly and Dinesh Gundurao as Pradesh Congress Committee president. Neither of the resignations has been accepted yet.
JD(S)’s dismal show indicates dwindling support for the party even in the Vokkaliga heartland of Mandya. JD(S) managed to put up a tough fight in Yeshwantpur and the independent it supported won from Hoskote, defeating the richest candidate in these elections — MTB Nagaraj of BJP. With this landslide victory, Yediyurappa is set to consolidate his power and complete the balance three and a half years of his term quite comfortably.
The bypoll also has put deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi, a former MLA, in the safe zone as he may be nominated as an MLC in place of Rizwan Arshad of Congress, who won from Shiva jinagar in Bengaluru. Hunsur was the other seat that Congress won.
‘Operation Lotus’, a name given to the strategy to poach MLAs of the rival parties, proved to be a huge success for BJP in converting its minority government into a majority. BJP’s tally of 105 post-May 2018 elections in the 225-member assembly has now gone up to 119 (including the support of Independent MLA H Nagesh and BSP MLA N Mahesh).
BJP has made inroads in Vokkaliga districts of Mandya and Chikkaballapura, hitherto considered fortress of JD(S) and Congress. BJP also scripted history by recording first-ever win in KR Pete (Mandya district) and Chikkaballapur seats. BJP also won for the first time in Gokak (Belagavi district) where it was struggling against Congress all these years.
Ramesh Jarkiholi, who won from Gokak, may be made deputy CM along with another one from the Kuruba community in Yediyurappa’s cabinet as a ‘reward’ for leading the rebels.
Yediyurappa, who now faces a tough task of cabinet expansion, said people have voted for stability and his government’s performance.
2021
Basavaraj Bommai, trusted ally of BSY, to be CM
Anil Gejji, July 28, 2021: The Times of India
Outgoing chief minister B S Yediyurappa's close confidant and state’s home minister Basavaraj Bommai is to be the 20th CM of Kar nataka.
Bommai’s elevation to the top post keeps two key constituents for BJP — Lingayat community and Yediyurappa — happy. As a Lingayat himself, Bommai will be acceptable to the politically influential community and by choosing him, the BJP high command seems to have rewarded Yediyurappa for walking graciously and promising to work for the party.
The 61-year-old three-time MLA from Shiggaon in Haveri district in north Karnataka is the son of late former CM and ex-Union minister S R Bommai. It makes the Bommais the second father-son duo after H D Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy to become CMs in the state. Bommai Senior was the CM for nine months in1989.
An engineering graduate who started out by working for the Tatas in Pune, Bommai’s name was not prominent among those thought to be in the reckoning for chief minister until Tuesday. But BSY’s support, according to BJP insiders, tilted the balance in favour of Bommai. “It is a masterstroke by Yediyurappa and a putdown to his detractors who raised a banner of revolt against him with an eye on the CM’s chair,” said a BJP MLA. Bommai took the blessings of BSY by touching his feet immediately after his name was announced. The duo later called on governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and staked claim to form the government.
BJP brass impressed with Bommai’s acumen
Originally from the Janata Parivar, Bommai’s selection for the coveted post also marked a new beginning in BJP as it came against a popular assumption that outsiders cannot aspire for big posts in the party or its governments. Bommai joined BJP just before the 2008 assembly elections. He served as water resources minister between 2008 and 2013 and home minister from July 2019.
For the past two years, Bommai was literally Yediyurappa’s trusted No. 2 with the latter depending on him for day-to-day administration. It is being said that the BJP central leadership was impressed with Bommai’s administrative acumen. He also built bridges with the central leadership with his constant interaction with them and as Yediyurappa’s representative for the last two years. His performance at the GST council meetings also received a lot of appreciation by the high command, sources said.
BJP has, in recent days, leaned towards unconventional candidates for key positions from Karnataka, including in the Rajya Sabha and the Union Cabinet. So, there was an expectation that it may spring a surprise.
But Bommai’s choice indicated the party’s keenness to protect the Lingayat vote base rather than indulge in experiments, and also to keep Yediyurappa happy.
Bommai, belonging to the less powerful Sadar subsect of the Lingayats, is expected to keep the Lingayat vote base intact. “Though the community is still hurt with the resignation of Yediyurappa, this is an appropriate and good selection,” said HM Renuka Prasanna, secretary of the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, welcoming the party’s decision.
Bommai’s loyalists are hopeful that he would gain acceptance because the community in the second half of the 1980s supported his father, who lost power in an unceremonious way when his government was dismissed. The SR Bommai case that the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the late leader is cited as the important case study in the Centre-state relationship.
2023
Selecting the CM
May 18, 2023: The Times of India
A typical question on everyone’s minds as the Karnataka Congress went to elections this time — under the joint leadership of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar — was who would be the chief minister if the party was to get a majority?
Prior to the polls, many optics were managed, and everyone, including the said leaders in question, quipped that the party will take a collective decision on the next CM.
However, about five days ago, when news began trickling in that the Congress had swept the elections with more seats (135 of 224) than the required majority, the joy soon turned into a quandary. All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge was seen having to work overtime, along with AICC Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, to break the deadlock as the race intensified.
This must have surely reminded faithful followers of Karnataka politics of the time when JH Patel of the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD (S) became CM and the JD (S) supremo HD Devegowda went to Delhi to serve as the prime minister for 13 months in 1996. Siddaramaiah was made the deputy CM during this turn of events while he served as the finance minister under HD Devegowda.
AHINDA+M leader
As party leaders in New Delhi went into a huddle this time to decide the CM, the popular sentiment on social media was to entrust the chair to Siddaramaiah. Even in his constituency, Varuna, from where he won — in what he himself terms as the "last election" of his political life — and Siddaramana Hundi, his birthplace, mild celebrations had already broken out in the bylanes of the villages where Lingayats form a formidable force.
However, Siddaramaiah’s strength comes from the AHINDA +M (Kannada acronym for Alpasankhyataru or minorities, Hindi Ulidavaru or backward classes, and Dalitaru or Dalits + Muslims), which Siddaramaiah has been championing for decades. For instance, on Siddaram Utsav, held on August 3, 2022, 16 lakh followers gathered to show their solidarity and wish him on his 75th birthday, was testimony to this. This was also a strong indication for Congress that the impressive turnout would translate into votes in the elections that were due in the next 10 months.
Master of 13 budgets
Among the CMs so far in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah holds the rare distinction of having presented 13 state budgets. This is a rarity among even CMs of national stature across India. In that sense, he is quite a ‘data cruncher’ in today’s parlance.
Hailing from the politically much-represented Kuruba community (OBC), Siddaramaiah is a graduate in both law and science from the University of Mysore. As he takes oath as the 24th CM of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah would also be the lone CM in recent times to have completed a full term (May 13, 2013-May 17, 2018). Prior to that term (and post), Karnataka has been witness to many tumultuous CM terms, stemming from situations that replaced Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP’s) BS Yeddiyurappa, who only lasted for six days as CM. He was replaced by HD Kumaraswamy of the JD (S), who occupied the chair for 14 months, only to make way for BSY again, till he was replaced by the current CM – Basavaraj Bommai of the BJP.
So far, Karnataka has seen only three CMs who have served a full term: Indian National Congress' D Devaraj Urs (March 20, 1972 to December 31, 1977), followed by Congress’ SM Krishna (October 11, 1999 to May 28, 2004), and Siddaramaiah.
The socialist
A Lohiaite to begin with, Siddaramaiah is not native to the Congress. The 75-year-old started his political journey in Karnataka state politics in 1983 when he was elected from the Chamundeshwari assembly constituency in Mysore district, representing the Bharatiya Lok Dal Party, which was formed as an opposition to the Indira Gandhi-led Congress, in 1974. In the years since, he has fought elections from the old Mysore region in Chamundeshwari, Varuna and also up north Karnataka from Badami. It is ironic that Siddaramaiah, who then went to the ruling JD (S), fell out of favour with party supremo HD Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy, to eventually join the Congress in 2006. The young Siddaramaiah had served as deputy CM, managing finance and excise portfolios.
It is said that DK Shivakumar — who for now has to forego his ambitions of becoming the CM and accede to the post of deputy CM, as per the wishes of the party high-command — was among the leaders who played a crucial role in bringing Siddaramaiah to the Congress.
Siddaramaiah's tenure as chief minister of Karnataka from 2013 to 2018 also witnessed a series of reforms and transformative policies. The administration implemented measures to boost agricultural growth, address water scarcity, enhance healthcare facilities and strengthen the education system. Under his leadership, Karnataka also experienced significant progress in various sectors, including technology, industries and tourism.
Champion of egalitarian society
Siddaramaiah has been vocal about his opposition to caste-based politics and has consistently advocated for a more inclusive and egalitarian society. His pro-backward class policies and reservations in government jobs and educational institutions have played a vital role in empowering marginalised sections of society. He introduced several welfare programmes and policies aimed at uplifting the underprivileged sections of society. His government's flagship initiatives like Indira Canteen (food at nominal rates); Anna Bhagya (free food grains to below poverty line families); and Ksheera Bhagya (free milk to school children) have had a significant impact on improving the lives of countless individuals. His belief in the values preached by the 12th century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of Indian Constitution, Dr BR Ambedkar, has also helped the leader shape his political journey.
Pushing through hurdles
Siddaramaiah is no stranger to controversies. Some critics have accused him of playing identity politics and favouring certain communities. Additionally, his policies, such as the decision to design a separate flag for Karnataka, drew mixed reactions from different quarters. (However, it is important to note that his focus on social justice and welfare has garnered substantial support and appreciation from many sections of society.)
His quashing of Lokayukta and sporting the ‘costly’ Hublot watch has done him no favours. Also, his handling of demand for separate dharma status for the Lingayat community created a huge rift between the Congress government and the Lingayats, which was quickly picked up by the BJP for political gains. This cost Congress a huge loss of face and drubbing in the 2018 elections. Siddaramaiah’s insistence to celebrate Tipu Sultan Jayanti played a role in causing communal clashes in Kodagu, resulting in the death of a person and widespread opposition to the event. His government also failed in handling the Cauvery water dispute with neighbouring Tamil Nadu in a rather sensitive way.
But today that seems to have changed with Siddaramaiah seen to be enjoying the confidence of southern states, with Tamil Nadu CM Stalin recently conferring the ‘Ambedkar Sudar’ award on him.
As Siddaramaiah embarks on the new term, which he may have to share with DK Shivakumar, it remains to be seen whether he would deliver on all the promises of ‘Congress Guarantee’ that the party made to voters across the state. For now, there is work to be done.
See also
And also
Karnataka: Assembly elections, 2018
Karnataka: caste, mutts and elections
Karnataka: Parliamentary elections
Karnataka: political history
