As the monsoon rains have begun lashing Bengaluru, chinks in its civic infrastructure are for all to witness yet again. At such a critical time, the city has been left with no clear political leadership, as Krishna Byre Gowda, who has been allotted the Bengaluru Development portfolio–albeit with key departments retained by the Chief Minister–has not taken charge yet.

Mr. Gowda has recently said he was awaiting clarity on the responsibilities before taking charge and hoped the issue would be resolved soon. Sources said he was averse to taking charge without the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA), both planning authorities spearheading key infrastructure projects, as it would slice up responsibility and accountability for the city’s governance and adversely impact his effectiveness as a Minister.

However, there seems to have been no end to this impasse, as the Chief Minister, who has retained the BDA and the BMRDA, has remained silent on the issue till date. Sources in the ruling party said that as Ramalinga Reddy, who had resigned over not being allotted Bengaluru Development had also fallen in line and taken charge as Water Resources Minister, Mr. Gowda is the only Minister yet to take charge and that has raised eyebrows within the party. This impasse will also affect Congress’s prospects in the upcoming civic polls in the city.

All eyes are now set for Saturday as it needs to be seen whether Mr. Gowda will attend the Cabinet meeting, as he is yet to take charge as a Minister.

With the civic elections due since September, 2020, there are neither mayors at the five city corporations, nor a Bengaluru Development Minister. Though Mr. Shivakumar chairs the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) as the Chief Minister of the State, he has also not held a monsoon preparedness review meeting ever since he took charge as the Chief Minister.

‘Need an empowered Bengaluru Minister’

Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya launched a social media campaign on Monday demanding “a fully empowered Bengaluru Development Minister”. “The ongoing turf war within the State government has left the city without clear accountability at a time when Bengaluru faces mounting infrastructure and civic challenges,” he said.

Arguing that it was not about who would be the Bengaluru Development Minister and that was the prerogative of the Chief Minister, he said, “Bengaluru needs an empowered Minister whom citizens can hold accountable. Splitting responsibilities between the Chief Minister and the Bengaluru Minister create confusion and governance paralysis.”

Srikanth Narasimhan of Bengaluru Navanirmana Party said a woman had been killed in a rain-related accident in the city, and Bengaluru needed a full-time Minister. “It is strange that the Chief Minister has retained two key departments. We need a full-time Bengaluru Development Minister,” he said.