BENGALURU: The 10-day winter session of the state legislature that commences in Belagavi on Monday is likely to put a lid on factionalism and power politics within the Ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP for the time being. The issue of the change of guard in the state is expected to die down as the Congress has to reply to the allegations levelled against the government by BJP and JDS, including various corruption charges and Waqf land issue.
Last week, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that there was a pact at the high command level on changing the CM after two-and-a-half years. But CM Siddaramaiah had indirectly hit back, saying that there was no such pact. Shivakumar, albeit with sarcasm, agreed to the CM. Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, too, supported Siddaramaiah. Shivakumar later suggested that Congress leaders should not discuss the issue. However, KH Muniayppal, another Dalit leader and the Food and Civil Supplies Minister, had said that there was a pact on power sharing.
Now for at least the next 10 days, the issue may get sidelined as the ministers have the task of countering the allegations made by the Opposition parties.
In the BJP camp, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka is likely to take along all the legislators identified with different groups to corner the Congress government.
Ashoka, being a neutral leader, is on good terms with Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, a strong critic of state BJP president BY Vijayendra and former CM BS Yediyurappa. This will come in handy for Ashoka to calm down Yatnal from firing salvos against Vijayendra and instead focus on the issues to corner the Congress government.
The BJP has called for a legislature party meeting on Monday evening. In the Council, LoP Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and senior leader CT Ravi are likely to put the Congress on the mat on several key issues.
Also, JDSLP leader CB Suresh Babu is expected to extend support to alliance partner BJP. But it would be interesting to see if sulking Chamundeshwari MLA and senior JDS leader GT Devegowda will support the NDA over several issues, including the MUDA case against Siddaramaiah, as the former had turned a sympathiser to the latter. Apart from Gowda, dissident BJP MLAs ST Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar are likely to cause an embarrassment to the saffron party.