Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Janata Dal (S), BJP in piquant situation

Special Correspondent

Officially, the two parties cannot claim to have captured power in the Gulbarga Zilla Panchayat

GULBARGA: The Janata Dal (S) and the BJP alliance, which is all set to capture power in the State, is facing a piquant situation in the Gulbarga Zilla Panchayat despite achieving its objective of defeating the Congress in the election to the posts of the panchayat president and vice-president.

Officially the Janata Dal (S) and the BJP cannot claim to have captured power in the zilla panchayat as both the panchayat president, Yellappa B. Karkunde, and the vice-president, Raja Hanumappa Naik, originally belong to the All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD).

They won their zilla panchayat seats on the AIPJD ticket.

Although the BJP and Janata Dal (S) members in the zilla panchayat supported both Mr. Yellappa and Mr. Naik in the election to ensure the defeat of the Congress candidates, the latter continue to be members of the AIPJD and so far have not made known their intention to resign from the party.

Yet to resign

Although their mentor and Surpur MLA, Raju Gowda, has declared himself as an associate member of the Janata Dal (S) group led by H.D. Kumaraswamy after resigning as the associate member of the AIPJD in the Assembly, his followers consisting of seven zilla panchayat members who were elected from Surpur taluk in the district, have not resigned from the party nor have they given notice to the zilla panchayat seeking to be considered as a separate group.

Both Mr. Yellappa and Mr. Naik face the threat of disqualification under the provisions of the anti-defection law if they claim to have joined the Janata Dal (S) as the law prohibits a member of one political party from joining another party after an election.

Even if the entire breakaway group of one political party decides to merge with another political party, the members who were elected on their original party ticket would not get an opportunity to hold any office in the elected body concerned for a stipulated period. In the case of Mr. Yellappa and Mr. Naik, they were elected to the top posts in the panchayat immediately after their election, and for all practical purposes, they continue to be in the AIPJD till they make the formal announcement of breaking away from the AIPJD and forming a separate group.

According to information available, the Janata Dal (S) and the BJP were not inclined to yield to the demand placed by Mr. Raju Gowda that the president and vice-president posts should be left to his supporters, but they had to give in after Mr. Raju Gowda reportedly threatened not to support the Janata Dal (S) and the BJP candidates for the two top posts.

The Janata Dal (S) and the BJP, as compensation, are likely to garner all the top posts in the standing committees of the panchayat. It is said Mr. Raju Gowda has promised them that he would not stake claim to the top two posts in the next two terms of the present body.

The Janata Dal (S) leaders in the district, who had been making a vociferous demand for the post of the panchayat president, had to perforce support the followers of Mr. Raju Gowda in the elections. The Janata Dal (S) and the BJP leaders also took the threat held out by Mr. Raju Gowda not to support them seriously as they did not have the numbers.

While the Janata Dal (S) has 21 members, the BJP has seven members with the assured support of two independents. The Congress, in turn, which has 25 members, was assured of support from three AIPJD members.

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