End to karnataka’s political agony

End to karnataka’s political agony

Let bypolls decide MLAs’ legitimacy.

With the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government in Karnataka losing the trust vote, it is now for the Speaker to decide what the status of the 16 MLAs — 13 from Congress and three from JD(S) — who had resigned from the coalition, will be. This decision should not be left hanging in limbo. Once that is settled, byelections for these 16 legislators seeking to contest from BJP tickets will serve as a popular test for their representational legitimacy. If BJP manages to gain the voters’ approval by notching up the right numbers in the vidhana soudha, then one can confirm that such a formation has met popular approval to form government. By the same reasoning, if the Congress-JD(S) combine succeeds to obtain a majority, it should fairly and squarely be back on the saddle of government. A third option of either side failing to get the numbers required for a stable government — in case either side manages only a wafer-thin majority — holding fresh elections to decide matters should be seriously and swiftly sought.

The current assembly’s political morality had begun to lose colour ever since a post-poll Congress-JD(S) coalition was formed to prevent the largest party, BJP, from forming a government after the assembly elections of May 2018. Its health progressively deteriorated, with sustained bickering among the alliance partners, developed signs of terminal exhaustion after the resounding victory of BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and moved to the death bed, after 16 MLAs resigned their membership of the House and reduced the ruling coalition to a minority.

The biggest gainer — for, hopefully, the short-term — from these developments is former chief minister Yeddyurappa, the leader of the Opposition at present. If a new government is formed from within the present House, it is only natural for him to head that government. But before any of that comes to pass, let the Speaker take a swift call on the status of the 16 ‘undetermined’ MLAs. And then let the Karnataka voter decide matters — either through bypolls or, if things come to such a pass, fresh elections.