DyCM Savadi faces uncertain future

Bengaluru, Dec 17: Chief minister BS Yediyurappa is under immense pressure to nominate his deputy Laxman Savadi to the legislative council to enable him to continue in office.

Savadi, a former MLA, took oath as minister in August, hoping the party will give him a ticket to contest the byelections from Athani. However, the party denied him the ticket and instead promised him a berth in the upper house, provided he ensures victory of disqualified MLA Mahesh Kumatalli from Athani.

Yediyurappa had announced Savadi will continue as DyCM, but time is running out for the former MLA since he has to be nominated to the council by February. If the Election Commission does not declare elections in January, then Savadi will be forced to resign since the EC has to notify elections to the council before the process can begin.

There is a lone vacancy in the council after Congress MLC Rizwan Arshad was elected from Shivajinagar in the bypoll. Savadi is hoping to take Arshad’s spot.

“The EC has time of six months to conduct elections to that seat from the date Arshad was elected,” said legislative council secretary KR Vishalakshi. This means polls can be conducted any time before May 2020.

However, for Savadi’s ill-luck disqualified legislator R Shankar is also eyeing a berth in the council along with MTB Nagaraj and AH Vishwanath. The BJP is trying its best to convince Shankar to wait till June when there will be nine vacancies in the upper house. At present, these nine seats are vested with Congress and JD(S).

Health minister B Sriramulu, who is reportedly miffed with the party leadership for not considering him for the DyCM post met BL Santosh, BJP national general secretary (organisation) to express his anger.

“While I represent the BJP and work for the people without any intent of holding a post in the government, the general public has been hoping I become DyCM. I am not going to belittle their hopes and dreams by denying the post if it comes to me. But it is all in god’s hands,” said Sriramulu, after meeting Santosh.

Functionaries say denying Sriramulu and choosing Ramesh Jarkiholi would alienate the Valmiki (scheduled tribe) community where the former has a huge following. “In fact it is possible that the number of DyCMs may fall,” said a senior party functionary.