Karnataka Assembly: Through history

When 60 years ago the first session of the Assembly took place, Kengal Hanumanthaiah, builder of the democratic house Vidhana Soudha, was the first Chief Minister elected under the Constitution. He was sworn-in by Rajapramukh, Maharaja Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar.

Though K C Reddy was the first Chief Minister of then State of Mysore in 1947, Hanumanthaiah, who rose to occupy many prominent positions in the State and in the Centre, was the first Chief Minister to be sworn-in as per the framework of Constitution in 1952 after the first general elections in which the Congress Party won. The first session was conducted in the old Public Offices Building, which presently houses the Karnataka High Court. V Venkatappa was designated as the protem Speaker by the Rajapramukh. He presided over the first session and conducted the historic session. The House consisted of 100 members. The election of the very first Speaker was not unanimous. It saw a contest between two candidates, veteran freedom fighter and Congress nominee H Siddiah and veteran Socialist S Gopala Gowda. After members’ swearing-in, the House elected Siddiah as the Speaker. He secured 74 votes against Shanthaveri Gopala Gowda’s 14 votes.

It is significant to note that the seeds of this democracatic institution were laid by Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar, when no other princely State in India had thought of entrusting democratic powers to people’s representatives. Chamaraja Wodeyar set up a Representative Assembly in 1881. The Assembly met for the first time on October 7, 1881, when 144 members were present.

The first session was held at Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore the Maharaja himself presiding over the inaugural session.

An order issued in August that year said: “His Highness the Maharaja is desirous that the views and objects which his government has in view in the measures adopted for the administration of the province should be better known and appreciated by the people for whose benefit they are intended, and he is of opinion that a beginning towards the attainment of this object may be made …. Such an arrangement, by bringing the people into immediate communication with the Government, would serve to remove from their minds any misapprehension in regard to the views and action of government, and would convince them that the interests of the Government are identical with those of the people.”

Although six-decade march of the Assembly is historic and significant, over the recent years, sadly it is witnessing deterioration in deliberations and conduct, what so with a Chief Minister being put behind bars on charges of corruption, leaving people to wonder whether the founder Maharaja’s aspirations are being fulfilled.