The tussle for the chief minister’s chair has once again begun in Karnataka after Governor Thawarchand Gehlot sanctioned the prosecution of CM Siddaramaiah over alleged irregularities in site allocations by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
The move was expected, according to political experts, but is certainly a setback for the two-time chief minister who, until the MUDA allegations, had kept away from controversies involving him or his family directly. With the sanction, the Chief Minister’s Office said they would be taking legal action based on the advice of the most senior lawyers in the government.
“Chief minister Siddaramaiah will continue, and there is no question of him resigning,” said an official from the CMO to News18.
According to Congress spokesperson Ramesh Babu, every combination and permutation in the law will be analysed to counter this “fake accusation” against the chief minister.
“We have enough evidence and data to show how, in the case of previous chief ministers like HD Kumaraswamy and BS Yediyurappa, sanctions were not granted due to political compulsions. Our strong legal team also has a solid strategy on how to counter this and bring Siddaramaiah out of the woods. This is a politically motivated move; one that Raj Bhavan has taken in haste. We will challenge it and are confident we will quash it in courts,” Babu told News18.
Though the Congress came to power in Karnataka with a resounding victory of 135 out of 224 seats in the 2024 assembly polls, the shadow boxing between Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar’s camp has been ongoing for some time now. It is learnt that the Congress high command chose Siddaramaiah over Shivakumar to lead the state based on seniority, experience, and the fact that he is still considered to be the tallest AHINDA leader in the state — the vote bank on whose support the party came to power with a handsome victory.
However, there have been multiple visits and meetings with the party’s senior leadership by the Shivakumar camp, lobbying for Siddaramaiah to be replaced by Shivakumar as chief minister. A compromise formula was reportedly worked out where, after two-and-a-half years of governance, and when Shivakumar is able to clear the ED cases against him, the seat of power could be handed over to him.
“They may be baying for his blood, but there is no doubt that it will be Siddaramaiah who will continue for the full term. It was under the joint leadership of Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah that the election was won and the Congress is here to stay,” said a senior Congress leader who did not want to be named.
The Opposition BJP and JDS in Karnataka, who had undertaken a week-long padayatra against Siddaramaiah seeking his immediate resignation, will once again protest on Monday to further pressure the leader to tender his resignation in light of the Governor’s sanction, BJP sources told News18.
Top BJP sources also said there is “not much chance that the government in Karnataka can be toppled as the number of seats is heavy on the Congress side”. “But the continuance of the chief minister is untenable,” the source added.
State BJP leaders, along with their alliance partner JDS, have been planning another sustained protest to seek Siddaramaiah’s immediate vacation of the CM seat ‘on moral grounds’.
“We will work out a strategy to conduct a series of protests against Siddaramaiah. Our constant efforts to highlight the corruption in the Congress, the misdeeds, and the misuse of the Chief Minister’s Office for personal gain have finally been proven to be true. The Governor’s sanction is a further endorsement that our fight for justice for the people of Karnataka is right,” said a senior BJP leader.
Political analyst Sandeep Shastri said the move from Raj Bhavan was on expected lines.
“It was just a matter of time before the Governor would sanction prosecution; however, it certainly is a setback for Siddaramaiah,” he said.
Shastri added that it is obvious that the Congress will take legal recourse, but he was of the opinion that the party will not take any drastic decision, like changing the chief minister, at this point in time.
“That would mean that they are succumbing to the pressure of the opposition BJP and the JDS. If the unwritten agreement of power sharing is right, then the Congress may take a decision closer to that time. It is clear that the Congress will not respond to changing the chief minister just because the Governor has sanctioned prosecution,” he told News18.
Based on a complaint filed by RTI activist TJ Abraham, Gehlot has sanctioned the prosecution under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 18 of Bharat Nyaya Sanhita.
The Chief Minister’s Office, confirming receipt of the sanction letter, said they would be taking it up legally, and Siddaramaiah’s team has been seeking legal opinion since the day the complaint was first submitted to Raj Bhavan by Abraham.
Speaking en route from Madikeri to Bengaluru, Abraham said his course of action was already in motion. He has a date in the special court for people’s representatives on August 21, where he will argue as to why the sanction given by the Governor is well within the law and also seek the court’s permission to approve the sanction, thus forcing Siddaramaiah to step down immediately.
“I am confident that the courts will give an order in my favour and that this will lead to taking the right step where the person who has been accused of wrongdoing will have to step down,” Abraham said.