A new raga in Karnataka music

Karnataka, too, entered the era of coalition politics with a Congress-Janata Dal Secular government headed by Dharam Singh assuming office in Bangalore on Friday. It took two weeks of hectic backroom bargaining, political arm-twisting and endless wrangling to cobble together this coalition. But it is one marked by compromise, connivance and contradiction.

If the road to forming a new Maharashtra-type system of power-sharing was full of potholes, the journey ahead is going to be politically tough. Unlike in Maharashtra, where the Congress and the NCP are not ideologically very divergent, Karnataka has two parties that must find common ground and look beyond their two-line Common Minimum Programme: That of keeping the 8220;communal8221; BJP at bay. For the Congress, particularly, it will be a complex task. After all it will have to cohabit with the JDS which had promised voters to set up special courts to try the 8220;corrupt8221; ministers of the outgoing S.M. Krishna government. Even if the storm over the new alliance blows over, the coalition will have tough hurdles to cross. Embarrassing questions hang over pet projects of the previous government. The JDS supremo, H.D. Deve Gowda, had spewed venom at them. And then there is much to be done to clear the mess on the education front and in the agriculture and power sectors. Will Dharam Singh, the first chief minister from the Backward Class after over two decades be completely occupied with political firefighting?

Dharam Singh8217;s immediate concern, however, will be ministry formation where bigwigs will jostle for power, resulting in caste and regional imbalances. Besides this, Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramiah is not happy playing second fiddle. On the leadership issue, the Congress is likely to face multiple power centres.

But there is a silver lining, too. Singh does not belong to the school of confrontational politics, and he will not find it difficult to deal with coalition politics. The colour and texture of the governments in Karnataka, Centre and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh match, and this should also help. There are some unanswered questions, though. What will the BJP, with an impressive mandate in the state, now choose to do? Will Karnataka head for midterm polls? Tune in to the new raga in the Karnataka music of politics.