The first coalition experiment in Karnataka happened in 1983, more by accident than by design.

The government of “defectors” headed by R Gundu Rao had become thoroughly unpopular. The Janata Party and Kranti Ranga, which had fought the election together, returned with a combined strength of 95 seats in the Assembly as against 82 for the Congress.

It was the first ever defeat suffered by the Congress in Karnataka and the party had no option but to sit in the Opposition. The Janata Party-Kranti Ranga combine too was short of majority by 18 seats but it had the “popular mandate” to form the government. After much internal wrangling, Ramakrishna Hegde was chosen to head the government, which received unconditional outside support from the BJP (18 seats), CPI and CPM (3 each) and the independents (16).

Hegde did not have a smooth sailing as S Bangarappa, denied of chief ministership, walked out of the ruling combine with six of his Kranti Ranga supporters. The air was thick with rumours of the Congress trying to destabilise the government with “money bags” being flown in from Delhi. N Hutchmasti Gowda, an independent member, created a sensation by alleging that some Congress leaders tried to lure him and a few other independents, though unsuccessfully. There was another “tape episode” involving a senior Congress leader, which became the talk of the town, but the truth was never fully established, despite a commission of inquiry going into the incident.

The first non-Congress government in Karnataka came as a fresh breath of air with a series of popular initiatives, including decentralisation of power through revival of the panchayat raj institutions.

Hegde ensured that the “outside supporters” had little to complain as they were offered sinecures in government-owned boards and corporations and a liberal help with the transfers and postings of officials.
But, he was aware of the long-term dangers of running such an unstable coalition. After the Lok Sabha elections in December, 1984 when the Janata Party managed to win only four out of 28 seats, Hegde took a calculated risk in submitting the resignation of his government and recommending dissolution of the Assembly to “seek a fresh mandate in the best traditions of democracy.”

The then young Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had taunted Hegde that he would become “irrelevent” after the Lok Sabha polls. But, Hegde’s gamble turned out to be a master stroke as his party returned to power in March, 1985 with a thumping majority of 139 seats, while the Congress and the BJP stood marginalised.
Hereafter, Hegde did not have to bother about outside support. However, the challenge to his leadership came soon enough from within.

Hegde, who headed the first non-Congress government in Karnataka,  ensured that the ‘outside supporters’ had little to complain as they were offered sinecures in boards and corporations, writes