Bengaluru: With top leaders of the ruling JD(S)-Congress coalition in Karnataka, including JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda himself, suffering humiliating defeats at the hands of their BJP adversaries and coalition unity turning out to be a non-starter in the Lok Sabha polls, the H.D. Kumaraswamy government in the state is on shaky ground with dissolution of the assembly on the cards.
Sources said that with the BJP claiming that many Congress legislators are ready to cross over to it and reduce the coalition government to a minority, Mr Deve Gowda is considering dissolving the assembly and seeking a fresh mandate without giving the saffron party an opportunity to topple the government.
Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has convened an informal cabinet meeting on Friday to discuss the issue threadbare and is expected to announce the decision of the party on even continuing the alliance with the Congress, according to party sources.
The Chief Minister, who visited his father soon after Mr Deve Gowda's defeat from Tumakuru and his son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy's from Mandya, held a long meeting with him and later tweeted that the Lok Sabha elections results were unexpected and he would respect the people's mandate. Trying to boost the morale of his party workers, Mr Kumaraswamy reminded them that the party had seen many victories and losses over the years and they had no reason to lose heart. He also promised to discuss the election results, with the party's coalition partner, the Congress.
However, it could well be the end of the road for the coalition government as Mr Deve Gowda reportedly seems to think it may be more prudent to start building his party base once again in the state without the involvement of its coalition partner. He is said to be concerned at the JD(S) losing its grip over Vokkaliga votes with young urban and rural voters of the community beginning to back the BJP, as was evident in Tumakuru and Mandya these polls. Besides Mr Deve Gowda's concerns about continuing with the alliance, some Congress leaders have had reservations for a while about playing second fiddle to the JD(S). The infighting within the Congress between 'original leaders' like Mallikarjun Kharge, D.K. Shivakumar, G Parameshwar and R.V. Deshpande and 'migrants' loyal to former Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah has impacted the government as well.
Meanwhile, young turks in the Congress like Dinesh Gundurao, Krishna Byregowda and Rizwan Arshad, who are close to AICC president Rahul Gandhi are trying to take control of the party, adding to the confusion in its ranks. Mr Siddaramaiah is now being held responsible for JD(S) losing Tumakuru and Mandya. The Congress has also lost nine seats.
