Karnataka political crisis to force polls in 6 months, claims BJP

BJP's Prakash Reddy claims political instability in Karnataka's Congress govt will lead to early elections within six months. He cited the leadership tussle between CM Siddaramaiah and Dy CM DK Shivakumar as undermining governance.

BJP Spokesperson Prakash Reddy on Friday claimed that ongoing political instability in Karnataka will significantly undermine the current government's ability to function, leading to a possible electoral showdown within half a year. Speaking to ANI, he said, "The Congress party is ruling the state in Karnataka. Any political party, because in Indian democracy, political parties will rule the states. So the leader of the political party, the impact of the leader of the political party, that particular party will certainly impact on the government functioning also."

Highlighting a breakdown in governance, Reddy suggested that the internal friction within the ruling administration is reaching a critical point that people are also observing. "Even whichever the state it belongs to, even whichever party it belongs to, if the particular party is ruling the state and their president certainly he will have some impact, he will have some say, he will have some role in the running the government, indirectly, may not be directly. So, similarly, the political disturbance in the Karnataka as far as Congress is concerned, certainly it is impact it impacts the governance of the present government and certainly there will be impact on the government running the government in Karnataka. So people are observing it. Let us see. Time has time is coming down now. They have to face the elections within a one and a half year. Let us see how they resolve the issue. And people will see how they are resolving the issue," he added.

Internal Friction in Congress

The Congress government has been grappling with internal friction, particularly with supporters of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar demanding to be appointed Chief Minister for the remaining 2.5 years of the government, citing the 2023 "power-sharing agreement". This leadership tussle has prompted repeated meetings between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to prevent escalation.

The leadership tussle within the Karnataka Congress began in November last year, when the government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term. Along with CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Home Minister G Parameshwara is also in the fray for the top post. (ANI)

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