Bangalore: Sadananda Gowda will be sworn in as the new Karnataka Chief Minister at 4.30 pm today, but about 55 BJP MLAs might not be present at the ceremony.
Thursday's political action in Bangalore has begun far before the new CM is scheduled to take oath. Jagadish Shettar, who lost to Mr Gowda by about 10 votes in a secret ballot held by the BJP yesterday to choose the next CM, is hosting a breakfast meeting for all the disgruntled 55-odd MLAs that had voted for him. Sources say these MLAs are planning to boycott Mr Gowda's swearing-in ceremony.
That will be more humiliation for the embattled BJP, struggling to keep things on an even keel in the only southern state it rules. In time-bound tradition, internecine wars in the state BJP are being fought in public. The party, which has 121 MLAs, is deeply divided. There are those, about 65 in number, that support BS Yeddyurappa, the man who stepped down on Sunday after being severely indicted in the Santosh Hegde report on illegal mining. These MLAs picked Sadananda Gowda, Yeddyurappa's man, to be the new CM.
The dissidents, all part of the anti-Yeddyurappa Ananth Kumar camp, include some big names - there is the BJP president KS Eeshwarappa, the Home Minister of Karnataka R Ashok, and Shettar himself, who is the Rural Development Minister. Add to this power list the names of the Reddy brothers of Bellary, new entrant in this camp. The dissidents claim they have 58 MLAs.
A brief encounter with Home Minister R Ashok is telling. He evades giving a direct answer when asked if he will support Mr Gowda as Chief Minister, though he is emphatic that he and his colleagues are part of no camp. Asked if he shall attend the swearing-in ceremony this evening, he says, "thanks" and ends the conversation.
The dissidents slam Mr Gowda for being what they call a "Readymade, Yeddy-made chief minister" and have demanded that Jagadish Shettar, a Lingayat, be made the deputy Chief Minister. The Lingayats are a dominant community in Karnataka with a huge 18 per cent vote share. They had a Chief Minister in BS Yeddyurappa, but Sadananda Gowda is a Vokkaliga.
The ever-smiling Mr Gowda knows that he will struggle to keep that grin in the days ahead. "I have seen more turbulence as state BJP president," Mr Gowda said to NDTV in an exclusive interview. He said he was "sure Jagadish Shettar will come for the swearing-in ceremony." Mr Gowda's immediate task at hand is to try and put together a Cabinet that accommodates as many MLAs from the rival camp as possible, aware that he cannot run a government without their support.
On the day that he takes over, Mr Gowda has also tried to counter the universal perception that he shall be a rubber stamp for Mr Yeddyurappa, who resigned very reluctantly and has vowed he'll be back in six months.
"I will not be a puppet CM," Mr Gowda said. He also emphasised that he was not a novice. "I have political experience too," the new CM stated.
Thursday's political action in Bangalore has begun far before the new CM is scheduled to take oath. Jagadish Shettar, who lost to Mr Gowda by about 10 votes in a secret ballot held by the BJP yesterday to choose the next CM, is hosting a breakfast meeting for all the disgruntled 55-odd MLAs that had voted for him. Sources say these MLAs are planning to boycott Mr Gowda's swearing-in ceremony.
That will be more humiliation for the embattled BJP, struggling to keep things on an even keel in the only southern state it rules. In time-bound tradition, internecine wars in the state BJP are being fought in public. The party, which has 121 MLAs, is deeply divided. There are those, about 65 in number, that support BS Yeddyurappa, the man who stepped down on Sunday after being severely indicted in the Santosh Hegde report on illegal mining. These MLAs picked Sadananda Gowda, Yeddyurappa's man, to be the new CM.
The dissidents, all part of the anti-Yeddyurappa Ananth Kumar camp, include some big names - there is the BJP president KS Eeshwarappa, the Home Minister of Karnataka R Ashok, and Shettar himself, who is the Rural Development Minister. Add to this power list the names of the Reddy brothers of Bellary, new entrant in this camp. The dissidents claim they have 58 MLAs.
A brief encounter with Home Minister R Ashok is telling. He evades giving a direct answer when asked if he will support Mr Gowda as Chief Minister, though he is emphatic that he and his colleagues are part of no camp. Asked if he shall attend the swearing-in ceremony this evening, he says, "thanks" and ends the conversation.
The dissidents slam Mr Gowda for being what they call a "Readymade, Yeddy-made chief minister" and have demanded that Jagadish Shettar, a Lingayat, be made the deputy Chief Minister. The Lingayats are a dominant community in Karnataka with a huge 18 per cent vote share. They had a Chief Minister in BS Yeddyurappa, but Sadananda Gowda is a Vokkaliga.
The ever-smiling Mr Gowda knows that he will struggle to keep that grin in the days ahead. "I have seen more turbulence as state BJP president," Mr Gowda said to NDTV in an exclusive interview. He said he was "sure Jagadish Shettar will come for the swearing-in ceremony." Mr Gowda's immediate task at hand is to try and put together a Cabinet that accommodates as many MLAs from the rival camp as possible, aware that he cannot run a government without their support.
On the day that he takes over, Mr Gowda has also tried to counter the universal perception that he shall be a rubber stamp for Mr Yeddyurappa, who resigned very reluctantly and has vowed he'll be back in six months.
"I will not be a puppet CM," Mr Gowda said. He also emphasised that he was not a novice. "I have political experience too," the new CM stated.
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