As Karnataka began its joint Legislative Assembly session on Thursday, 28 January, an alliance between Janata Dal (Secular) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to be forged to contest for power in the Legislative Council.
“BJP and JD(S) is likely to go against the Congress tomorrow when the Deputy Speaker post will have to be filled,” a source said.
The move for an alliance between the BJP and the JD(S) could end the Congress’s hold in the Upper House since 2018, political observers from the state said.
The Upper House, which is also known as the House of Elders, has 75 seats.
The BJP currently has 31 seats and the Congress 29, while JD(S) occupy 13 seats. Deputy Chairman of the house SL Dharmegowda had allegedly died by suicide in December 2020.
The Assembly is set to discuss mining, cow slaughter and border disputes.
Illegal Mining, Anti-Cow Slaughter Bill
The house is also expected to have a discussion on illegal mining as a recent blast at a mining site at Shivamogga had killed at least six people.
The Congress, led by Siddaramaiah, has been training its guns on the BJP for allowing regularisation of illegal mines in the state. Such mines should be closed down, the party contents.
In the session, the BJP led by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will attempt to pass the cattle ban bill in the Upper House where Congress had a strong hold till recently. The Bill which was passed in the lower house on 9 December has increased the penalty for cow slaughter and has also banned all slaughter of cattle.
Tussle With Maharasthra, Farmers
In the joint session an ongoing tussle with neighbouring state Maharashtra over state borders is expected to be brought up.
In a recent public event, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had claimed that Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka, which share state borders with Maharashtra, should be declared a part of the latter. These parts should first be constituted into a Union Territory till the Supreme Court delivers its final judgment on the matter, Thackeray had stressed.
Meanwhile, farmers’ protests had raged in Bengaluru of Karnataka on 26 January. Apart from opposing the Centre’s farm laws, the farmers have also been opposing the state’s farm laws which allowed non-farmers to buy agricultural land.
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