Karnataka CM tussle: Why Congress may choose Siddaramaiah
Karnataka CM tussle: Why Congress may choose Siddaramaiah
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has a Karnataka conundrum on hand. Should he pick former chief minister Siddaramaiah to lead the party in the state after their triumphant win – the Congress won a thumping 135 seats over nearest rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 66 seats – or should he opt for Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakumar for the top post.
The suspense over the Congress choice continued on Monday and will continue on Tuesday too. Earlier, the central leadership had called both the leaders to New Delhi but DK Shivakumar cancelled his visit to the national capital citing health issues, which many have said is his token protest against the party if they don’t give him the top post.
While the Grand Old Party has said that it may announce the name of the new chief minister today – three days after the results were announced, we see why the veteran Congress leader Siddaramaiah may have the edge over DK Shivakumar and be named the 24th chief minister of the southern state.
A case for Siddaramaiah
This isn’t the first time that the Congress has to face this struggle of deciding a chief minister between two senior leaders; they had the same problem in Rajasthan, as well as in Madhya Pradesh earlier.
In Karnataka, the scales are tipped in Siddaramaiah’s favour because of a number of factors. Firstly, he has the backing of 90 MLAs of the 135 winning candidates. This has been contested by Shivakumar, who says he has the support of 135 MLAs. “Yesterday (14 May) 135 MLAs gave their opinion and passed one-line resolution, a few MLAs have expressed their personal opinion. My power is 135 MLAs. Under my leadership, the party has won 135 seats,” he said.
Another advantage in the favour of the 76-year-old Siddaramaiah is that he is recognised as a mass leader, accepted by most sections of Karnataka’s population. He has a support base across not just his community Kuruba voters but also Muslim and other communities.
Many election surveys have revealed that a majority of people believe that Siddaramaiah is the ideal candidate for chief minister’s position. The Lokniti-CSDS survey showed that over 40 per cent respondents thought that Siddaramaiah is the best candidate for the chief minister’s position – almost 20 percentage points over the outgoing Bharatiya Janata Party chief minister Basavaraj Bommai. Shivakumar was even lower in the popularity ladder.
The Congress will have to keep this in mind as they gear up for the 2024 general elections. A leader close to the veteran was quoted as telling Indian Express, “The Kurubas and Muslims are spread all over Karnataka and, as a result, many Congress MLAs are reliant on Siddaramaiah’s support for winning their seats. In the case of Shivakumar, the support is restricted to Vokkaligas.”
Siddaramaiah also has administrative experience to his credit. He has the experience of having run a full-term government as the chief minister (2013-18). He is an able administrator with the experience of having presented 13 budgets. “At a time when the state is staring at debts, an experienced hand is what is needed,” said one senior leader to The Quint.
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The DKS factor
However, the decision of Siddaramaiah as next chief minister isn’t clear cut. Currently at home citing ill health, DK Shivakumar is still a viable candidate for chief minister. A staunch Congress politician from the beginning, he has credited himself for the Congress’ performance in the state. On Saturday as the votes were counted, DK Shivakumar had turned emotional, saying, “I assured Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge that I will deliver Karnataka. I can’t forget Sonia Gandhi coming to meet me in jail.”
#WATCH | Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar gets emotional on his party’s comfortable victory in state Assembly elections pic.twitter.com/ANaqVMXgFr
— ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2023
Moreover, Shivakumar is very close to former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi; he had once worked closely with Sonia’s late right-hand man Ahmed Patel.
One factor that could swing the decision in DK Shivakumar’s favour is the support he enjoys among the Vokkaliga community and having the backing of Panchamasalis, a Lingayat sub-group, who are believed to have played a key role in the Congress winning 28 more seats in the Lingayat belts compared to 2018.
The party has also depended on his organisational abilities as well as his ability to corral MLAs amidst a political crisis – be it in Maharashtra, Gujarat or Karnataka.
The one reason why the Congress leadership may be wary of naming DK Shivakumar the next chief minister is the number of corruption cases against him, including a CBI case over disproportionate assets, which is believed to have links to political funding. These cases are in court at present. In his 2023 election affidavit, Shivakumar declared wealth of Rs 1,214 crore.
On Tuesday morning, DK Shivakumar finally relented and said he will be going to Delhi to discuss government formation. His office told news agency PTI that he would leave for the capital by the 9.50 am flight. “I am leaving for Delhi. Sonia Gandhi has called me alone. My health is fine now. People have blessed the party. We want to save the Constitution. I have done my duty. The party is my temple,” said the 61-year-old leader before leaving, adding, “Ours is a united house, our number is 135. I don’t want to divide anyone here. Whether they like me or not, I am a responsible man. I will not backstab and I will not blackmail.”
A power-sharing deal
Even as the Congress continues the suspense over the next Karnataka chief minister, there’s also a power-sharing arrangement being discussed. According to that plan, Siddaramaiah could be the first choice, while Shivakumar could be considered for the top job after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
But, it seems that Shivakumar is in no mood to relent to that deal as it places him behind.
The game is open and the Congress still needs to make a decision. Will it be Siddaramaiah after all? As Congress MP Naseer Hussain told reporters, “Both led this fight from the front, both did their best to strengthen the party. Both have contributed to the victory of the Congress, but only one can become the Karnataka chief minister.”
With inputs from agencies
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