There is a tug of war between CM and Deputy CM over GBA polls issue: Kumaraswamy

The JDS leader said that while Siddaramaiah wanted polls to be held, Shivakumar was not keen on it, which is the reason behind the governments Supreme Court petition seeking additional time to conduct the Greater Bengaluru Authority GBA elections.

Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday claimed that there was a tug of war between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar over conducting polls for five city corporations under the GBA, linking the issue with the ongoing power tussle between the two over the leadership issue. The JD(S) leader said that while Siddaramaiah wanted polls to be held, Shivakumar was not keen on it, which is the reason behind the government's Supreme Court petition seeking additional time to conduct the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections. ''There is an internal fight going on between the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister regarding the GBA elections. Siddaramaiah feels that if the GBA elections are held, his CM position will be secured for another six months, while D K Shivakumar believes he may not become the CM if the elections are held now,'' Kumaraswamy said in response to a question. Speaking to reporters here, he said, ''One wants to keep his CM position, and the other wants to somehow get the position, so there is a tug of war over the GBA polls issue.'' Karnataka State Election Commissioner (SEC) G S Sangreshi said on Friday that elections to the five city corporations under the GBA will be held anytime between June 14 and June 24, and the exact date will be announced soon. However, the SEC subsequently filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking an extension of time until September 30 to hold the polls, citing the National Census-2024 and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Supreme Court had earlier directed the Karnataka government and the State Election Commission to conduct Bengaluru local body elections by June 30. The tenure of the previous elected body under the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ended on September 10, 2020, and since then, a government-appointed administrator has been managing its day-to-day affairs. Kumaraswamy also lashed out at the opposition Congress for speaking ''lightly'' about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for fuel savings and forex conservation amid the impact of the West Asia conflict. ''The Prime Minister has spoken keeping in mind the welfare of the people of the country. He has given some necessary suggestions to the people of the country so that our financial system should not suffer a setback in the coming days. What is there to find fault with in this?'' he asked. He also targeted CM Siddaramaiah for criticising the PM's statement. Emphasising that the Centre is trying to shield people from the adverse impact of the conflict in West Asia, PM Narendra Modi on Sunday in Hyderabad called for judicious fuel use, postponement of gold purchases and foreign travel, among other measures, to strengthen the economy.