Checkmate by D K Shivakumar? Mass defection hits JD(S) in Channapatna, 13 leaders join Congress

Bengaluru: In a setback to the JD(S), 13 out of 16 of the regional party’s councillors at the Channapatna City Municipal Council have joined Congress, escaping the anti-defection law as two-thirds of them have switched sides.

This is being seen as Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s move to weaken the JD(S) and bolster the Congress’ prospects in Channapatna, a Vokkaliga-dominated taluk where both parties are arch-rivals.

The mass defection also comes ahead of an impending bypoll to the Channapatna Assembly constituency, which was vacated following Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s election as the Mandya MP.

Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress president, has taken the Channapatna bypoll personally and wants to 'avenge' the defeat of his brother DK Suresh in the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment at the hands of the BJP-JD(S) combine.

In the 2021 elections to the 31-member Channapatna City Municipal Council, 16 JD(S) members were elected, seven each of Congress and BJP and one independent candidate Uma. Now, 13 JD(S) members and Uma have joined Congress.

Following the mass defection, Ramanagara Congress president Gangadhar S petitioned the deputy commissioner, who is also the district election officer (DEO), to officially recognise the turncoats as his party’s members in the civic body. He also pointed out that the JD(S)) members had joined Congress on their own will.

In his response, the DEO quoted from the Karnataka Local Authorities (Prohibition of Defection) Act: “The merger of the political party of a councillor or a member shall be deemed to have taken place if, and only if, not less than two-thirds of the members of the political party concerned have agreed to such merger.”

Therefore, in the context of the Channapatna civic body, the JD(S) stands merged with Congress.

While this is sure to have an impact on the Channapatna bypoll, alliance partners BJP and JD(S) are struggling to find consensus on who the candidate should be. Former BJP minister CP Yogeshwar is vying for the ticket even as the JD(S) wants one of its own to become the candidate.

In Congress, speculation is that Bangalore Teachers’ MLC Puttanna may be fielded. But Shivakumar has maintained that he will seek votes regardless of who the candidate is.