Standing on the steps of the iconic and majestic Vidhana Soudha, which houses the Karnataka State Assembly, was once the preferred choice for many Chief Ministers to take the oath of office, until it proved unfortunate.
Built in 1952 by the then Chief Minister of Mysore Province, Kengal Hanumanthaiah, this grand structure has been the pride of the state with its beautiful façade and 45 grand steps at the entrance. However, as luck would have it, at least six Karnataka chief ministers who chose to hold their swearing-in ceremonies in the footsteps of this neo-Dravidian architectural marvel did not complete their full five-year terms.
Ladder of Power (Low)?
Political upheaval, defection, scandals, or political differences could have been any one of the many reasons for the fall of governments in Karnataka, but the wretched Vidhana Soudha continues to haunt those in power, and many find it quite take seriously. In this southern state, a total of nine chief ministers have held office for less than a year, and more than half have ruled the state for less than two consecutive years.
Today, as Siddaramaiah takes over as the 24th Chief Minister of Karnataka, his office has once again chosen to hold the function at the Kanteerava Stadium, as it did in 2013. Devaraj Urs, the first Chief Minister of Karnataka, and Siddaramaiah (2013) are the only two Chief Ministers to have completed their full term, and incidentally, neither of them performed their swearing-in ceremony on the steps of Vidhana Soudha. Urs took oath at the Raj Bhavan, while Siddaramaiah took oath at the Kanteerava Stadium.
Though HD Kumaraswamy tried to break the tussle in 2018 after extensive consultations with astrologers, unfortunately, he too lost power within 14 months of being sworn in as chief minister on the steps of Vidhana Soudha.
Here is the list of Chief Ministers stuck in ‘Junks’:
Ramakrishna Hegde: Until 1983, the swearing-in ceremony of chief ministers in Karnataka was administered by the state’s governor at the Glass House inside the Raj Bhavan. However, in 1983, Hegde decided to make it a grand event by holding the ceremony on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha. Hegde created history by becoming the first leader of a non-Congress party to become the Chief Minister. He wanted his swearing-in ceremony to be a grand affair and open it to the public, so that even the people of Karnataka could watch it live, as they gathered around the magnificent seat of power, still considered an architectural marvel goes.
Hegde’s tenure as Chief Minister was marred by controversies and he had to resign before completing one year in office. The Karnataka High Court criticized his government’s handling of arrack bottling contracts, which eventually forced him to resign. However, he withdrew his resignation after three days, only to face a more serious allegation of phone tapping of prominent politicians and businessmen, eventually leading him to resign at the end of his term. Hegde was replaced by SR Bommai.
Karnataka was subsequently under President’s rule twice between April 1989 and October 1990. Virendra Patil was made the Chief Minister for a short time (less than a year), but the ailing Chief Minister was asked to step down by the then Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi.
S Bangarappa: Sarekoppa Bangarappa took over as the 12th Chief Minister of Karnataka in 1990 after Patil’s tenure and, like Hegde, chose the steps of the Vidhana Soudha for his swearing-in ceremony. Sadly, Bangarappa’s tenure did not last full term. His time as CM was tarnished by several allegations linking him to various scams, most notably the classic computer controversy, of which he was eventually exonerated. However, two years into his tenure, Bangarappa was replaced by Veerappa Moily after his administration failed to effectively address the issue of the Cauvery water agitation, which led to widespread protests and riots across the state.
Such was the effect of the “jinx” that subsequent Chief Ministers HD Deve Gowda and JH Patel refused to take oath on the “cursed” steps, fearing they would lose power.
SM Krishna: Nine years later, when it seemed the “disgrace” had finally been broken by SM Krishna, who was sworn in on the steps as Karnataka’s 16th chief minister, he dissolved the assembly in 2004, months before completing its five-year term . Krishna, without explicitly pointing fingers at the then Vajpayee government, indirectly blamed the Centre’s decision to hold early Lok Sabha polls for early assembly elections in the state. However, the Congress party suffered a significant setback in the subsequent assembly elections.
Dharam Singh: Dharam Singh became the Chief Minister after the alliance of Congress with JDS and he also took oath on these steps. Singh remained chief minister for about two years, and the alliance ended in 2006 after HD Kumaraswamy (JDS) joined hands with the BJP.
HD Kumaraswamy: Kumaraswamy (JDS) and BS Yeddyurappa (BJP) took oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in 2007 on the steps of Vidhana Soudha on the formula of 20 months-20 months. Not only did the alliance crumble in 20 months, Yeddyurappa, who was sworn in as the BJP’s first chief minister in South India, was forced to resign within seven days after the JDS withdrew support.
BS Yediyurappa: Nothing could stop Yeddyurappa from single-handedly opening the BJP’s account in the southern state after being elected as the single largest party with 110 seats. The BJP forged an alliance with six independents and Yeddyurappa took the risk of taking oath as chief minister on the steps of Vidhana Soudha. He was the first CM to take oath in the name of the farmers of Karnataka, but the leader had to step down after he was arrested by the Lokayukta in a multi-crore illegal mining scam. Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar completed five years of BJP rule after Yeddyurappa.
Siddaramaiah could not step in
In 2013, with Siddaramaiah as the CM, the Congress managed to come to power with a thumping majority. However, the self-proclaimed “atheist” decided to hold the ceremony at the Kanteerava Stadium in the presence of thousands of people, party workers and leaders.
Kumaraswamy once again hesitated
In the 2018 assembly elections, the BJP, despite being the single largest party with 104 seats, could not muster enough support to cross the halfway mark (113 seats) in the 224-member strong Karnataka assembly. Sensing a right opportunity, Congress and JDS came together to form a coalition and came to power under the leadership of HD Kumaraswamy.
Kumaraswamy organized a grand ceremony at Vidhana Soudha where he was sworn in as the chief minister. It turned out that the “humiliation” factor was definitely on Kumaraswamy’s mind, especially as a leader known to be extremely superstitious. Vidhana Soudha. As advised by astrologers, he arrived at the right time, at 4.30 pm, for the ceremony.
The coalition’s tenure was tumultuous and it came to an end just 14 months after assuming power. The government lost the trust vote (99-105) brought by Kumaraswamy, bringing curtains down on the alliance and paving the way for the BJP to form the government once again under the leadership of BS Yediyurappa.
fate seal
A cautious Yeddyurappa stayed away from the steps of Vidhana Soudha, but that did not stop the fact that he quit as chief minister after the BJP high command asked him to step down. He announced his resignation exactly on the day he completed two years as Chief Minister. He was replaced by Basavaraj Bommai, who took the oath of office at the Raj Bhavan.
carved in stone?
This time, Siddaramaiah has also tried to avoid tussle as he takes over as the chief minister for the second time. If he completes his full five-year term, he will set a record as the only Chief Minister of Karnataka to do so. So why would he let a wretched man squander his only chance to write his name in the history of Karnataka?