Congress to get deputy CM, speaker posts in Karnataka

NEW DELHI: Congress will get the post of speaker and a deputy chief minister in Karnataka, the first names that party president Rahul Gandhi will decide in the coming hours ahead of H D Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in as chief minister of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government on Wednesday.

The CM-designate met Rahul and his mother, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, at the Congress chief ’s residence on Monday evening. The visit was a courtesy call to invite the Congress leaders for the swearing-in. It was preceded by a half-hour meeting with pre-poll ally and BSP chief Mayawati, JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali said.

Rahul and Kumaraswamy alluded to the history of acrimony between Congress and JD(S) to say they should forget the past and look to the future. Congress sources said the party’s entire focus was on Kumaraswamy’s oath, election of the speaker and the confidence motion, and no formal negotiations were held on the specifics of power-sharing.

The reason, sources said, was that any formal discussion would spill over in public and create a controversy which the Congress-JD (S) combine can ill afford given the backdrop of the hastily cobbled alliance and drama over government formation. However, the broad blueprint of the power-sharing agreement has been worked out.

Rahul discussed the Karnataka situation on Monday morning with Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ashok Gehlot and state in-charge K C Venugopal — central party emissaries who shepherded the state unit during the power tussle with BJP.

A meeting between Venugopal and Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru will seal the deal on Tuesday. State Congress chief and Dalit leader G Parameshwara is the frontrunner for the deputy CM’s post. The deputy CM may be the only Congress leader likely to take oath with Kumaraswamy, but a final decision is to be taken. No ministers will be sworn in on Wednesday. While there is a demand for a second deputy CM, sought by the Veershaiva-Lingayat community with M B Patil being seen as the top claimant, sources said it was likely to be left for later.

The 34 state ministries, including the chief ministership, will be divided between Congress and JD(S) on the basis of their legislative strength. Congress has 78 MLAs plus two independents, while JD(S) has 38 MLAs. Sources said Congress may get 21 or 20 berths while JD(S) could bag 12 or 13 ministries. However, the partners may jostle in future over critical portfolios like home, revenue, power and finance.

Congress is keen to keep those ministries. Also, Congress will contest both the assembly seats — RR Nagar and Jayanagar in Bengaluru — where elections were not held along with the rest of the state. Additionally, Congress and JD(S) will set up a committee to thrash out a “common minimum programme” for governance which will be distilled from the manifestos of the two parties. A coordination committee is also likely to be set up. Ousted CM Siddaramaiah will continue as the Congress Legislature Party leader irrespective of who becomes deputy CM from the party ranks.

Party strategists said Siddaramaiah was a mass leader who would be the Congress’s face in future in view of the upcoming political battles and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.