GULBARGA: The Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP are working out a power sharing arrangement in the Gulbarga Zilla Panchayat. The post of the president may go to Janata Dal (S) and the vice-president's post to the BJP as in the case of Gulbarga Taluk Panchayat.

If the fate of the coalition Government will be decided on the floor of the Assembly on January 27, it is also on the same day that the election to the post of president and vice-president of Gulbarga Zilla Panchayat is scheduled.

The Congress, which has 25 members in the 65-member house, appears to have resigned to the fact of losing out in the race. The party leadership has not made any move to rope in other political parties, including the AIPJD, which has 10 members in the zilla panchayat.

The victory of the Janata Dal (S)-BJP combine, which has 28 members, appears to be more or less certain with seven AIPJD members assuring support to it. The latter are supporters of Surpur MLA Raju Gowda, who shifted his allegiance to the Janata Dal (S).

The two independents, including Bharati who was elected with the support of the BJP and AIPJD from Nelogi constituency, which is the birth place of Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh, and BJP rebel candidate Udaykumar Patil, who was elected from Aurad constituency, have shown their inclination to support the JD(S)-BJP combine.

If the legislators and Lok Sabha members, who are also members of the zilla panchayat with voting powers are taken into account, the Janata Dal, (S) which has five legislators, Sharanabasappa Dharshanapur, M.Y. Patil, Vishwanath Patil Hebbal, Basavant Reddy Mudnal, and Raju Gowda, has an effective strength of 26 members.

From the Congress, Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh, Water Resources Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Dr Sharanaprakash Patil, Lok Sabha members from Gulbarga and Raichur Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi and Venkatesh Naik respectively are eligible to vote for their candidates in the elections to the posts of president and vice-president in the zilla panchayat, taking the effective strength of the Congress to 30.

At least seven AIPJD zilla panchayat members, who are supporters of Mr. Raju Gowda, are likely to join the Janata Dal (S) reducing the effective strength of the AIPJD to five.

However, none of the legislators are expected to participate in the elections to the president and vice-president of the zilla panchayat as they have to be present in Bangalore for the show of strength in the Assembly.

If the Congress fails to retain power in the zilla panchayat, it will be a setback to Mr. Dharam Singh and the president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Mallikarjun Kharge, who are from Gulbarga district.

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