The Hindu : Karnataka News : Congress, JD(S) to have pact for Council bypolls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 18, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Congress, JD(S) to have pact for Council bypolls

By S. Rajendran

BANGALORE, OCT. 17. The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), coalition partners in the State Government, which fielded their own candidates for the Bidar Lok Sabha byelection, have decided to come to an understanding for the byelections for the two vacancies in the Legislative Council to ensure the victory of their candidates.

Sources in the Congress and the JD(S) told The Hindu that informal discussions had commenced between the two parties on forging an understanding. The last date for filing of nominations for the byelections is October 20 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 23.

Meeting

The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, is expected to meet the former Prime Minister and JD(S) President, H.D. Deve Gowda, to finalise the understanding.

The byelection for the two Council seats are scheduled to be held on October 30. The vacancies arose because of the resignation of M.P. Prakash, Minister for Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs, and B.S. Yediyurappa, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, who were elected to the Legislative Assembly in the recent elections. They were elected to the Council in June 2000 for a six-year term. Thus, the two candidates elected in the byelections will be members of the House for the remaining 20 months of the six-year term.

Sources in the legislature secretariat said that Mr. Singh had sought details on the election methodology and the number of votes required for a candidate to win. Senior JD(S) leaders had also sought information on the new election rules, which were different from the preferential voting system followed in the past, they said.

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer has said that under the new rules, the members of the Assembly, including the nominated member, are the voters and elections for the two seats will be held independently. Thus, for victory, a candidate has to poll 114 votes. The two parties together have 123 votes in the Assembly. Hence, the Congress and the JD(S) can ensure the victory of one candidate each or two candidates from either party if the other agrees to such an arrangement.

BJP to move court

The State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, however, has decided to move the court against the new system of voting. It wants the earlier preferential voting system to be continued. The BJP's argument is that because of the majority enjoyed by the two coalition partners, their candidates are bound to win. Under the old system, with 84 votes, including those of its ally, the JD(U), the BJP stood a chance of winning one of the seats.

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