BJP-JD(S) win Dy Chairman's post in Karnataka Legislative Council

Bengaluru: On a day when Janata Dal (Secular) Supremo H. D. Deve Gowda said he would not attend President Kovind's address to Parliament, his party in Karnataka cemented its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning the Deputy Chairman's post in the Karnataka Legislative Council on Friday.

M. K. Pranesh, the BJP's candidate was elected the Deputy Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council. The election was necessitated following the demise of S. L. Dharme Gowda of the JD(S) on December 29, 2020.

Pranesh won the election 41:24 as the JD(S) backed the BJP sealing an alliance that would help the passage of contentious bills, including the 'Anti-Cow Slaughter Bill', for which the BJP took the ordinance route.

After his victory, speaking in the Legislative Council, M. K. Pranesh said he had mixed feelings of joy and pain given the circumstances of the election, following the death of his predecessor Dharme Gowda.

"Dharme Gowda was a successful politician. He worked so hard and succeeded, too, in his own way. I have filled the place of someone like that. I am really happy -- but at the same time there is pain that it happened in this way," Pranesh said.

Pranesh also stressed that everyone needs to forget the December 15 unruly episode in the Council and find a new path going ahead. "We should not get into blame-game for what happened on that day. We all need to be responsible and I seek members' support in this regard," he added.

The JD(S) is known for jumping ship frequently as it has shared a tumultuous relationship with both the Congress and the BJP on various occasions and has been in power in alliance with both the parties in the past.

The BJP came to power in Karnataka in late 2019 after 17 MLAs from both the Congress and the JD(S) defected to the BJP which eventually brought down the JD(S)-Congress government headed by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.

After the 2018 Assembly election results, the JD(S) had formed the government with Congress support. In 2006 it had formed the government with the help of the BJP by bringing down the Congress-JD(S) government headed by the then Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, and Kumaraswamy became the Karnataka Chief Minister for the first time.

The alliance comes at a time when Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has been under pressure over the Cabinet reshuffle, non-performance of his government, farm laws and the resurfacing of old and new corruption charges, among other issues.

This time around the JD(S) has bargained to get the Chairmanship and the front-runner, Basavaraj Horatti, has already issued a statement promising to help pass the Anti-Cow Slaughter Bill.

The Council had witnessed unruly scenes on December 15 as the BJP and Congress clashed when the Deputy Chairman Dharme Gowda sat in the Chairman's (Pratapchandra Shetty) chair before the latter could enter the Upper House.

Dharme Gowda was found dead on a railway track in Chikmagalur district on December 29, 2020. He is suspected to have committed suicide.