The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BJP replicating its Goa formula

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Karnataka - Bangalore

BJP replicating its Goa formula

Anil Sastry

Manohar Parrikar hit upon the idea to secure simple majority

Isidore Fernandes was the first MLA to resign his seat and join the BJP
Parrikar Ministry could not survive for long

BANGALORE: Legislators of Opposition parties resigning their seats and contesting on ruling party’s ticket to “strengthen” the latter – a novel way conceived by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa to circumvent the Anti Defection Law for the first time in 2004 – eventually proved costly for the Manohar Parrikar Government. Will the case in Karnataka be different given the nature of the defections from the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) to the ruling BJP .

Mr. Parrikar was keen on reaching the magic figure of 21 to achieve simple majority in the 40-member house, just like the BJP dispensation in Karnataka which is three short of simple majority. However, Parrikar Government came to be dismissed on February 2, 2005, with the roots of the crisis going back to the August 2004 resignation of the Congress MLA.

In Karnataka, two MLAs each from the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) have already resigned their seats and joined the BJP, even as one of them has already been appointed Chairman of a board.

The BJP had won 17 seats on its own in the 40-member Goa Assembly in 2002 while the Congress had 15 members and the NCP had one. Mr. Parrikar formed the Government with the support of MLAs from two regional parties and independents. Eventually, one MLA each from the two regional parties split their respective parties and joined the BJP.

Isidore Fernandes, the Congress MLA from Poinguinim, who resigned and later won on a BJP ticket in October 2004, has the credit of being the first legislator to circumvent the Anti-Defection Law. When he resigned as a Congress MLA, Mr. Fernandes said his constituency did not see any development for which reason he was joining the BJP to infuse fresh development activities in Poinginim, bordering Karwar in Karnataka.

Later, another regional party MLA — Micky Pacheco — merged his party with the BJP in January 2005 taking the BJP’s strength to 20. A confident Parrikar sacked “trouble maker” Atanasio alias Babush Monserrate, his Town and Country Planning Minister in January 2005. Mr. Monserrate, elected on United Goan Democratic Party ticket in 2002 from Taleigao, had joined the BJP after splitting it.

After a controversial vote of confidence on February 2, Governor S.C. Jamir sacked the Parrikar Government and installed Congress-led Pratap Sinh Rane Government. Meanwhile, the No. 2 in the Parrikar Government, Digambar Kamat, representing Margao constituency (BJP) too resigned his membership and joined the Congress. Mr. Kamat is now the Chief Minister of Goa. As the Rane Government too was unable to command a majority, Goan Assembly was kept in suspended animation for three months and President’s rule imposed. During this time, byelections were held for five seats vacated by BJP MLAs, out of which Congress won three, its ally NCP won one and the BJP one. Interestingly, Mr. Fernandes, who had forced two by-elections, was defeated by the BJP candidate. Mr. Rane was again sworn in the Chief Minister.

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