Bangalore(DHNS): The BJP on Wednesday asked Vimala Gowda, the Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council, to resign from her post and ‘help’ the party save the post of the Chairman from slipping out of its hands.
With the likelihood of an alliance between JD(S) and Congress looming large, to ease out both Chairman D H Shankaramurthy and Gowda from their posts, the BJP on Wednesday morning asked Gowda to step down from the Council position, after striking a deal with JD(S) legislature party leader H D Kumaraswamy.
JD(S) sources said that Kumaraswamy, Cheluvarayaswamy and others met K S Eshwarappa, R Ashoka and other State BJP leaders at Jagadish Shettar’s office in the Vidhana Soudha.
An agreement was reached to leave the deputy chairperson’s post to the JD(S), to ensure that JD(S) does not join hands with Congress to oust Shankaramurthy.
Three-time member from Bangalore Teachers’ Constituency Puttanna is likely to become the deputy chairperson. Sources said that JD(S) floor leader in the Council Basavaraj Horatti has shown no inclination to become the deputy chairperson.
He is said to be eyeing the chairman’s post, which is unlikely to be given up by the BJP. The decision was conveyed to JD(S) national president H D Deve Gowda over phone for his approval.
The BJP approached JD(S) MLCs, who are 12 in number, to initiate talks on Tuesday evening.
It is said that the deal between the Congress and JD(S) fell through as the former was ‘slow’ in initiating talks for a no-confidence motion against Shankaramurthy.
It is said that the ‘ego clash’ between Deve Gowda and Siddaramaiah was the prime reason for the failure of the talks. Neither Siddaramaiah nor KPCC president G Parameshwara showed any inclination to initiate the talks with Gowda and Kumaraswamy.
The JD(S) and BJP have joined hands for the second time this year. The two parties had an arrangement to get Independent candidate D U Mallikarjun elected to the Council from the Assembly.
