Dharmegowda may get Council dy chair

JD(S) MLC S L Dharmegowda is likely to be elected as the deputy chairman of the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

Dharmegowda filed his nomination papers for the post on Tuesday. With no other contenders in the fray, Dharmegowda will be unanimously elected to the post. Interestingly, Dharmegowda’s nomination has caught many by surprise within the JD(S) itself. Until late on Monday, party MLC K T Srikantegowda’s name was doing the rounds. The party leadership, however, changed its mind in the last minute, leaving Srikantegowda stranded.

A former MLA, Dharmegowda is the brother of sitting MLC S L Bhoje Gowda, whose proximity to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is well known.

Having grabbed both the Legislative Assembly Speaker and Council chairman post, the Congress decided to let go of the deputy chairman post to its coalition partner, JD(S). With 18 MLCs in the 75-member House, the BJP lacks sufficient numbers to enter the fray. As a result, it hasn’t fielded any candidates for the elections to the deputy chairman post.

The post was previously held by another JD(S) MLC Marithibbegowda, which fell vacant upon his retirement on June 22.