JD(S) should have bargained better with Cong: leaders

Voices of dissent have emerged in the JD(S) camp, with leaders questioning the party’s decision to deprive many of them, especially the MLAs, of cabinet rank positions.

The JD(S) leaders are upset with the party leadership for not bargaining hard with the Congress either for cabinet berths or the statutory boards and corporations positions, at the time of government formation itself.

As per the agreement between the coalition partners, two-thirds of the posts have gone to the Congress, which has 79 MLAs, while the JD(S) was left with one-third of the posts, given that it has only 38 MLAs. During a meeting convened by JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday, many leaders expressed their discontent in this regard.

According to sources, the leaders questioned Gowda why the JD(S) settled for less, when it could have sought 50% of the posts, at least in case of appointments to boards and corporations.

Of the 38 MLAs from the JD(S), 10 have been inducted into the Kumaraswamy cabinet. At the time of the expansion of the council of ministers, the party had promised the remaining MLAs that they will be suitably accommodated.

Now, all the remaining 27 MLAs are vying for positions in boards and corporations. The party, however, can accommodate only 10 of them, which has become a bone of contention among the legislators.

Gowda is learnt to have told his partymen that he was in a helpless position as the party is in no position to go back on the agreement with the Congress.

With the coordination committee expected to decide on cabinet expansion and appointments to 30 boards and corporations shortly, lobbying by aspirants has intensified.

The JD(S) can induct only one more candidate into the cabinet. Rumours are rife that party MLC B M Farookh may be the lucky one. Gowda, who is keen on Farookh getting a ministerial post, is said to have convinced Kumaraswamy in this regard.

Sources said MLAs - K Gopalaiah (Mahalakshmi Layout), Shivalinge Gowda (Arsikere), B Sathyanarayana (Sira), H K Kumaraswamy (Sakleshpur), Ravindra Srikantaiah (Srirangapatna), Srinivas Gowda (Kolar), D C Gowri Shankar (Tumakuru Rural), Devanand Chavan (Nagthan), Raja Venkatappa Nayak (Manvi) and Naganagouda Kandakur (Gurmitkal) - are in the race for posts in boards and corporations. There are as many as 95 aspirants (largely MLAs) from the two parties for these positions.