Bengaluru: The JD(S)-Congress coalition government is yet to appoint a chief whip for the Legislative Assembly. The Congress has staked claim to the post since it has 80 legislators on its side. Consultations are now on in the party for selecting the chief whip. Since the Congress chief whip in the previous Assembly, Ashok Pattan was defeated in the Assembly polls, the party has to appoint a new chief whip for the ruling coalition.
Sources in the Congress said that in a day or two, the party will nominate the chief whip in the Assembly while the JD(S) will have to find a nominee for the post of chief whip in the Council. At present, Ivan D'Souza of the Congress is the ruling coalition’s chief whip in the Council.
The post of chief whip is considered crucial as far as the present dispensation is concerned as he plays the prime role of coordination in the House and issues whips to legislators when important bills are taken up for discussion. The ruling coalition also has to find a suitable candidate for the post of Deputy Speaker in the Assembly. The Congress bagged the Speaker’s post while that of Deputy Speaker will go to the JD(S) which is yet to select a nominee in this regard.
