The Karnataka Assembly elections in 2018 have been nothing short of a roller-coaster with a sudden twist in the likely outcome.
On Tuesday morning, the Bharatiya Janata Party was rejoicing its victory. But a sudden move by the Congress to join hands with Janata Dal (Secular) poured cold water on the party’s upbeat mood.
But what we have in Karnataka currently is a stalemate where the role of Governor Vajubhai Bala, a former BJP veteran, would be critical.
Will Vajubhai Vala, a former Gujarat BJP leader, call upon the single-largest party to form the government as per convention or allow two political contenders who’ve agreed on a post-poll alliance to come to rule?
Before the run-up to the results, here is a look at the likely front-runners for the post of the chief minister.
HD Kumaraswamy: The ‘Kingmaker-in- Waiting’
At the centre of the power-sharing arrangement is Deve Gowda’s son, HD Kumaraswamy. Born on 16 December, 1959, Kumaraswamy is a former chief minister of Karnataka and the eldest son of JD(S) national president H D Deve Gowda.
The former producer and distributor formally entered the political terrain in 1996. He won from Kanakapura (in Ramanagara District, Karnataka) constituency, Indian Express reported. After facing defeat in the 1999 Assembly elections, he entered the political fray in 2004 when he was elected to represent the Ramanagara assembly segment. The year witnessed a coalition between the JD(S) and the Congress after the electorate sprung a fractured verdict.
In 2006, the coalition collapsed after Kumaraswamy pulled his MLAs out of the party, the report added. Due to a power-sharing tussle between the JD(S) and BJP, “Kumaranna” refused to hand over the reign to B S Yeddyurappa but reconciled later. BSY was finally sworn-in as the 19th chief minister, the Express report stated.
In November 2014, Kumaraswamy was again re-elected as the Karnataka state Janata Dal (Secular) President.
In 2018 Assembly elections, he clinched the Channapatna and Ramanagara constituencies by a huge margin. With Congress reaching out to the Janata Dal (Secular) to form a government, Kumaraswamy accepting the offer may emerge as the party’s best bet to thwart BJP off the game.
B S Yeddyurappa: BJP’s First South CM
B S Yeddyurappa, the current president of BJP’s Karnataka unit and sitting MP from Shimoga constituency was first elected to the state assembly from Shikaripura in 1983, The Indian Express reported.
Born on 27 February, 1943 in a farmers' family in Bookanakere village of Mandya district, BSY was a karyakarta in his younger days and was later, appointed as the secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Shikaripur unit in 1970, The Hindu reported. In 1975, he was jailed for 45 days at Shimoga and Bellary during the 1975 Emergency period, the report added.
BSY was then elected as the Leader of Opposition party from 1994 till 1999 and then the deputy chief minister in 2006 till 2007.
His short stint as the CM in 2008 for a week made him the first chief minister from the party in the south of India. He helmed Karnataka again from 2008-2011 but resigned on 31 July after a Lokayukta report indicted Yeddyurappa for dubious land deals and links with iron ore mining scam.
According to IE, he was known as first former CM of the state to be imprisoned for corruption. A miffed BSY exited the party to form Karnataka Janata Paksha in the 2012, The Hindu reported.
However, in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he merged with the BJP and won from Shimoga, Express reported.
Siddaramaiah: The Last Man Standing
Siddaramaiah, Congress’ grand old man was once a blue-eyed Janta Parivar boy and anti-Congress crusader. Bidding adieu to his profession as an advocate to pursue a political career, Siddaramaiah debuted as an MLA in 1983 from Chamundeshwari on a Bharatiya Lok Dal ticket and subsequently joined the JD(S) becoming a trusted aide of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda till 2005, DNA reported.
As a JD(s) member in 1996, Siddaramaiah, the then Finance Minister had to settle for the post of the deputy CM after having lost to JH Patel. But the astute politician has been credited with the distinction of presenting as many as seven state budgets as Finance Minister, the DNA report added.
In a fractured verdict in 2004, thee JD(S) and Congress formed the coalition where Siddaramaiah lost the chief minister’s “gaddi” owing to another rising star in the party ie HD Kumaraswamy, Gowda’s son, the report added.
Following differences with Gowda and clan, Siddaramaiah was expelled from JD(S) in 2005. He tried to position himself as a backward-classes leader from Kuruba community, the third largest caste in Karnataka, by spearheading AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) conventions, News18 reported.
He then joined the Congress and clinched the bypoll from Chamundeshwari in 2006. In 2008, he shifted to Varuna Assembly seat and won from there in 2008 and 2013 assembly elections.
In his entire political career, Siddaramaiah is credited for backing a movement for the primacy of Kannada to separate religion tag to Lingayats, News18 report added.
(With inputs from The Hindu, The Indian Express, News18, DNA)
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