ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the internal political developments in the south Indian state of Karnataka between the first week of 1980 and early 1984. Until the fall of Devaraj Urs in January 1980, the ruling party in Karnataka had always had — more or less — a clearly identifiable constituency or socio-economic base. The blurring of the lines between parties and social bases in Karnataka which resulted from the defections to the Congress in 1980 might have served as an opportunity for the Rao government to cultivate support from a very broad range of interests. Governments which hope to get re-elected must pare down their socio-economic bases to a realistic size, but the present motley composition of both major parties in Karnataka makes it very difficult to do this. Gundu Rao's possession of so many government departments prevented die development of the sort of minimal solidarity within his party and cabinet that would have served the interests of everyone concerned.
