Odds against party, at odds with itself

Amid turbulence in the ruling BJP over B S Yeddyurappa floating the Karnataka Janata Party, the newly constructed Suvarna Soudha at Halaga Bastavad on the outskirts of Belgaum is set to host the winter session of the State Legislature from December 5 to 12.

It is for the third time the Legislature session is being held in the City– the first time it was in September 2006 and the second in January 2009.

On both the occasions, the sessions were held at KLE College, in the absence of a permanent secretariat building.

The question looming large at this point is whether the Jagadish Shettar government will manage to salvage the image of the party government, especially in North-Karnataka, where Lingayat leader Yeddyurappa has considerable influence over voters. 

In the four-and-half-years of the present Assembly, this is the first time Yeddyurappa will not be in the House.

So, the responsibility of defending the government on various issues now rests on party seniors such as Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, his deputy K S Eshwarappa and others.

But with the BJP being a divided house, there may not be many voices to defend the party government, though ministers are bound to defend their department works.

The government is sure of completing the term as more than Yeddyurappa, his followers who are ministers are not ready to sacrifice their posts.

The issue of special status to the Hyderabad-Karnataka region is likely to be discussed in the Houses with the BJP and the Congress at loggerheads over the issue. The Congress, so far, has not taken a decision to move a no confidence motion against the government.