With the countdown for power transfer all set to begin, so has political chatter on the schemes purportedly worked out by Janata Dal (Secular) maverick H D Deve Gowda, who neither wants son and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to relinquish power nor is keen to face election 20 months ahead of the State Assembly’s term end.

Though urban local body polls on September 28 has kept political parties busy with the hustings, the guessing game is on. No change of guard is expected until post-poll but speculation is rife that Deve Gowda is armed with dates picked by astrologers for Kumaraswamy’s exit, to enable Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to stake a claim to form the next Government.

If any of these dates, including September 26 and 29, is opted by Gowda, it will be only a formality for BJP to meet the Governor and prove its majority. “Power transfer is no issue at all if it is honest and honourable,” noted a BJP leader. 

Next CM
Coming to Deve Gowda's repertoire of ‘schemes’, his newest trick, it is speculated, could be an encore of the events that preceded his choice as the chief minister in 1994.

Though Deve Gowda was projected as the next CM by the united Dal during the election, subsequent developments went ballistic. Even as victorious Dal’s Legislature Party was meeting to name the leader-cum-CM, Gowda supporters outside turned restive fearing challenge from bete noire Ramakrishna Hegde for the CM’s gaddi. 

Deve Gowda was instantly declared leader. Cut back to now. Similar endorsement of support for Kumaraswamy's continuance as CM is expected to be mobilised  from JD (S) MLAs through a resolution. Unlike 1994, Dal lacks majority this time and will have to bank on independents and ‘mobile’ MLAs, if feasible.

The ‘mobile’ MLAs are described as those who extend cross support to other parties while retaining affiliation of the party from which they are elected in order to overcome anti-defection provisions.
The JD (S) already has such tacit support from three out of five JD (United) MLAs and is hoping to ‘arrange’ more support  from BJP.

If this happens, as neither coalition partner wants imminent election, a joint legislature party meeting of JD (S) and BJP will be mooted to decide who has majority - Kumaraswamy or Yediyurappa. BJP has 79 MLAs, JD (S) 58, Congress 64 and Independents number 13. 

More schemes
Scheme 2 envisages JD (S) pullout from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre and aligning with BJP-led National Democratic Alliance as quid pro quo for continuing Kumaraswamy as CM.

Another arrangement involves recommending dissolution of the Assembly under a variety of engineered circumstances, including disqualification of the Kumaraswamy gang of 40 JD (S) MLAs who have been ‘suspended’ by the party aligning with BJP.

BJP leaders insist they will take up the power transfer issue only after September 28 polls. The Congress, meanwhile, is keeping two options open - giving outside support to JD (S) or going to the polls.