BENGALURU: BJP MLC Pranesh MK from Mudigere in Chikmagalur was elected Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council on Friday morning in a one-sided contest against Congress MLC KC Kondaiah.
Pranesh was elected after a division of votes and the BJP and JDS supported his candidature. The BJP has 31 votes plus one independent's support, while the JDS has 13. The Congress's KC Kondaiah's bid proved to be a non-starter after the party which has only 29 votes failed to put up a fight by getting more support. The election was to fill up the vacancy of Deputy Chairman after the demise of Dharme Gowda recently.
In the recent past, the Congress had an understanding with the JDS when Dharme Gowda (JDS) was elected Deputy Chairman while PC Shetty (Congress) was elected Chairman. Earlier also, the Congress had an understanding with the JDS in the Council which helped Veeranna Mathikatti (Congress) become Chairman and also when VS Ugrappa was elected opposition leader in the council. But the understanding between the Congress and JDS now lies shattered over personal egos, lamented a senior MLC.
The BJP has meanwhile moved a notice of no-confidence against the Chairman PC Shetty and are waiting for February 2 to unseat him because that will mark the end of the mandatory 14 days after the notice has been served as stipulated under the norms.