Karnataka legislature session set to be turbulent

Karnataka legislature session set to be turbulent

Bengaluru: The first session of the Karnataka legislature in the new year, set to begin on Monday, is expected to be a turbulent one amid divisions within both the ruling Congress and opposition BJP. Several key issues and bills are anticipated to be discussed during the session.

The 15-day session will commence with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's address to the joint sitting of the state legislature at Vidhana Soudha here on Monday.

Additionally, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, is set to present his 16th budget on March 7.

The 2025-26 Budget is expected to total Rs 4 lakh crore, an increase from the current fiscal's Rs 3.71 lakh crore.

The session comes amid ongoing speculations, especially in the ruling Congress about the leadership change under a "rotational chief minister" or "power-sharing" formula, which is yet to subside.

While Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is seen as a key aspirent for the CM post, those supporting CM Siddaramaiah have been asserting that the incumbent will continue.

There is also a growing factional rift within the opposition BJP, with calls for the replacement of state unit President B Y Vijayendra.

Despite this internal division, the BJP, along with its alliance partner JD(S), has decided to unite in opposing the government on several key issues.

Price rise is expected to be a major point of contention, with the opposition likely to target the government over recent fare hikes for state-run road transport corporation buses across Karnataka and the Bengaluru Metro. In addition, the proposed increase in milk prices and water tariffs are expected to be raised.

The opposition has also been accusing the government of burdening the people with taxes due to the implementation of five guarantee schemes. They have further alleged the diversion of funds under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan for the implementation of these schemes.

Karnataka Lokayukta giving clean chit to the Chief Minister and his wife in the alleged MUDA site allotment scam, may also come up for discussion.

Also, likely to figure among other issues is law and order situation, in the wake of incidents of crime, tension in Mysuru's Udayagiri and police's subsequent handling, alleged assault on a state-run bus conductor for not speaking Marathi in the border district of Belagavi escalating into a issue between two states.

The ruling Congress, on the other hand, is expected to target the opposition, especially the BJP, on the alleged injustice to Karnataka by the Centre in -- devolution of taxes, proposed delimitation exercise arguing that the it would unfairly impact southern states, delay in clearances several development and irrigation projects in the state.

Several key bills are likely to be tabled during the session, especially the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, which proposes to split the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into multiple corporations.

This bill is likely to spark heated discussions as the BJP and JD(S) have accused the Congress of "trying to divide" Bengaluru. They have also criticised the government for delaying the BBMP polls.

The government may also table the Karnataka Micro Loan and Small Loan (Prevention of Coercive Actions) Bill, 2025, replacing the existing ordinance. The bill aims to protect borrowers from harassment by microfinance institutions (MFIs) and crack down on unregistered and unlicensed MFIs.

The delay in releasing the Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, popularly known as the 'caste census', is also expected to be a point of discussion during the session.