Key to new Goa leadership is getting around Parrikar cult
Panaji, Sep 17 : There was a rare moment of levity on Monday amid tense ongoing negotiations for a leadership alternative to ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, when a BJP leader, after meeting party's General Secretary (organisation) Ram Lal, said: "If choosing an alternative CM is so difficult, we should just appoint his Principal Secretary P. Krishnamurthy to the post. After all, he's virtually calling the shots in administration without uttering a word for months now."
Krishnamurthy is a 1997-batch Indian Administrative Service officer, has been Parrikar's favourite mandarin for nearly two decades now and has been the IITian's omnipresent shadow, irrespective of Parrikar's stints at the state Secretariat or Defence Ministry in the South Block in Delhi.
According to Ministers in the BJP-led Coalition government, Krishnamurthy is known to wield more authority and say in matters of administration than most Ministers as well as the Chief Secretary himself.
As Ram Lal and his team may have unearthed during their two-day meetings with party officials, MLAs and alliance partners, the most difficult part to deal with as far as finding a replacement for Parrikar is negotiating the cult and coterie of which Parrikar built around himself in his three-decade stint as the state BJP's top boss, without formal appointment.
BJP sources say that in Parrikar's absence, the coterie is perhaps one of Parrikar's most uncomfortable legacies, which the party High Command may have to work their way around with, for choosing a replacement or successor for the Goa BJP's tallest leader ever.
This is especially so, because unlike other states, where a robust organisational set- up serves as a strong framework for BJP's growth, there is no potent organisational hierarchy in place in the upper echelons of the Goa BJP's decision-making elders, who have played a poor second fiddle to Parrikar for far too long.
In case of Goa, both in administration as well as in the ruling party, the cult and coterie have overshadowed formal administrative processes and the "party organisation", as BJP leaders prefer to call it.
"There is no doubt that Parrikar was always our best bet for Chief Minister and our greatest (state) leader. But one also cannot ignore the fact that the state needs to be governed efficiently and that the party organisation needs strengthening. This cannot happen when he is fighting a severe ailment. While we have the CM in our prayers, but for the betterment of the party, government and state, we have to look beyond any individual," a former BJP MLA, who met Ram Lal and other central observers, told IANS.
Over the last two days, nearly all sitting MLAs as well as party state President Vinay Tendulkar, a favourite of Parrikar, have been lobbying with Ram Lal for the Chief Minister to continue.
BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral put it in context perfectly on Sunday.
"Within the BJP, they should find somebody and Parrikar should remain the Chief Minister till he is alive," Cabral said.
Informed sources said that one of the key incidents which hastened the current political crisis is Parrikar's sudden decision to offer Deputy Chief Ministership to Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar (Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party), without sanction from the state BJP's core committee -- a fact which riled other alliance partner Goa Forward's Vijai Sardesai.
Both alliance leaders had called on Parrikar on Friday at a private hospital, more than a week after the Chief Minister's return to Goa from the US, during which the former Defence Minister had cut off all communications from Ministers and party workers, including Tendulkar and core committee members.
Ram Lal was briefed about the lengths at which the state BJP leaders had to go through to convince Sardesai that the Deputy Chief Ministership offer made by Parrikar to the Goa Forwar leader's rival was not vetted at all by the BJP state core committee.
Sadguru Patil, a keen political reporter and columnist of a Marathi daily, in a column has put the spotlight on the growing mistrust between Parrikar and the BJP's top brass in the state.
A new CM will inevitably be appointed by the BJP High Command, which is looking to stabilise the power apparatus in Goa, in Parrikar's absence. Whether the new appointee will be able to break through the shackles of the Parrikar cult and the grip of the latter's coterie is anybody's guess.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
