After resignation of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yeddyurappa, whose latest tenure as the Chief Minister of Karnataka lasted for just 2 Days, Haradanahalli Devegowda Kumaraswamy of Janata Dal (Secular) is all set to become the next CM, as he has the required number of MLAs – more than 50% of the strength of 224 member assembly, due to the support of the Congress Party.
There are serious doubts about his government lasting its full tenure of 5 Years, because the government has been formed without the single largest party, which was the BJP with 104 seats. Also, in the election campaign the Congress and JD(S) had abused each other’s leaders. But they united after the result to stop the BJP from forming the government, and Congress with 78 seats gave the CM post to JD(S) which won just 38 seats.
However, there’s widespread concern about the track record of H D Kumaraswamy – the next CM. Son of ex-PM H D Devegowda, Kumaraswamy was born with a silver spoon. His marriage with a 19 Year old girl at the age of 46, was quite controversial. He’s an accused in 8 serious criminal cases, like Corruption, Illegal mining, Land grabbing, Criminal conspiracy causing revenue loss to the state, and cases under MMDR Act, Transfer of Property Act and Forest Act.
These cases are registered under Sections 120 (B), 204, 405, 406, 409, 418, 420, 463, 465, 467, 468, 471, and 567 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). If he gets convicted in any of these cases, he’d be sentenced to a jail term of more than 2 years and would thus stand to lose the post of CM, and he would also become ineligible to contest any further elections, as per Section 8(3) of the Representation of People’s Act of 1951.
If this happens, it’d be a matter of shame and disgrace for the state of Karnataka and its people. For now, they cannot do much but hope that this unholy post election alliance of the Congress and JD(S) breaks down, so that either the single largest party – BJP gets to form the government, or there’s a President rule imposed under Article 356, and fresh elections are held, and someone with a clean image gets to become the CM.
