February 09, 2006
 

Kumaraswamy, CM

It is not difficult to foresee that the BJP-JD(S) combine government will not last for too long. Around halfway through the remainder of the term, they will part ways, either because the BJP would pull the rug or because the JD(S) would point out the BJP's communalism as being a factor. Kumaraswamy will enjoy his Chief Ministership, his (and his father's) long cherished dream, and cock a snoop at Yediyurappa's ambitions of being CM for the second half.

I think one way to prevent instability in such a coalition is to insist firstly that the Chief Minister (or Prime Minister for that matter) should be from the party which has a numerical majority (in terms of MLAs or MPs). The second is to ensure that in case of a mid-term poll, the bill is paid for by the party which took the first step in bringing down the government. If it is tough to reach that decision, as happened in the case of Karnataka with both the JD(S) and the Congress(I) insisting that the other was responsible, both parties must bear the expenses for the election.

Labels: deve gowda, karnataka, kumaraswamy, politics