Bengaluru: The Budget Session of the State Legislature began here this morning with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot addressing the joint Session of both Houses, during which he highlighted the Government programmes and plans with focus on the implementation of the five pre-poll guarantees of the ruling party.

Even as the Session began, the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP and JD(S) are set for a major showdown after the Congress took over the reins of power in Karnataka on May 20. While the ruling Congress is set to project the implementation of its poll guarantees, the Opposition is keen on cornering it on the reported shortcomings of the schemes.

The Congress Government is likely to table a Bill on scrapping the Anti-Conversion Law and also introduce a Bill on repealing the Anti-Cow Slaughter Law, both of which were promulgated by the previous BJP Government.

Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, will present the Budget on July 7, which has raised curiosity over the means of funding the five pre-poll promises costing about Rs.50,000 crore this year. Incidentally, it will be a record 14th Budget to be presented by Siddharamaiah, who presented his first Budget as Finance Minister in the H.D. Deve Gowda Government in the latter half of 1990s.

Opposition Leader soon

Meanwhile, even as the Budget Session began in the State Capital this morning, the main Opposition BJP continues to struggle to pick a suitable candidate for the post of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP).

On Sunday, the BJP top brass summoned former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to Delhi to discuss the same. The meeting with National Party President J.P. Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which was scheduled at 3 pm yesterday, eventually took place after 8 pm. The deliberations continued late into the night with no conclusive decision reached at the meeting.

However, Yediyurappa, after a late night meeting with the party top brass in Delhi, returned to Bengaluru this afternoon. Speaking to presspersons upon his arrival at Kempegowda International Airport, Yediyurappa said the Opposition Leader is most likely to be announced soon. He also lashed out at the Congress for posting tweets lampooning the BJP for its prolonged delay in naming the               Opposition Leader.

BJP Central Observers deputed to Karnataka

However, in a latest development, BJP National President J.P. Nadda has deputed Union Health Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya and BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde as Central Observers for electing the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly at Bengaluru later this evening, according to the Party National Spokesperson Anil Baluni.