Bengaluru: With the ruling Congress party confident of wresting the Chairman and Deputy Chairman posts in the Legislative Council from the Opposition, party veterans in the Upper House are rushing to claim the prestigious posts.
The Congress will become the biggest party in the Upper House by June this year once the nomination of members is done.
This will give the party the numbers to secure these posts, now held by Mr D.H. Shankaramurthy of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Mr Marithibbe Gowda of the Janata Dal (Secular).
The Congress will, however, need the help of Independents and rebel Janata Dal (Secular) members to win these posts.
Senior Congress members Veeranna Mattikatti, Motamma and Prathapchandra Shetty are the prominent contenders for the chairperson’s post. Mr Mattikatti is the frontrunner and is already in touch with Independent members in the Council, said sources.
Of the five Independent members in the Council, three have already supported the ruling party. They are M.D. Laxminarayana, B.S. Suresh and Vivekrao Patil. The party is also hoping to get the support of Bharatiya Janata Party rebel, Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal.
The chances of Mr Mattikatti becoming the Council chairman are pretty high as he is unlikely to make it to the state Cabinet if a reshuffle or expansion is carried out. He also has the advantage of serving as Council chairman in the past.
A senior Congress member in the legislative Council told this newspaper that Mr Mattikatti has an edge as he is the seniormost member and has previous experience of handling the post.
Mr Prathapchandra Shetty told this newspaper that he will not lobbying for the chairman’s post. ‘If the party offers it to me, I will accept, I will not lobby for it. Since Mr Mattikatti is a senior member, he is the natural choice,” he said.
The other contender, Ms Motamma, could pose a strong challenge to Mr Mattikatti after failing to make it to the Siddaramaiah Cabinet. When contacted, Ms Motamma said, “It is left for the party to decide. I do want to become the chairperson but it is upto the party to consider my candidature.”
