Politics in Karnataka will no longer be the same, although the change may not be apparent immediately. Siddaramaiah’s assertion on continuing as the Chief Minister for a full five-year tenure — more importantly, the manner and timing of such an assertion as well as his claim on leading the party in the next elections — could significantly alter the political equations in the ruling Congress.
By making that emphatic declaration in the national capital earlier this week, Siddaramaiah may have sought to end speculations over leadership change, which threatened to damage his image as a leader in full control of the administration and impact the governance in the state. But, at the same time, he also appears to have fired a salvo at his party’s high command by sending a clear and direct message that there is nothing to discuss regarding a change in leadership.
The CM preempted the party’s central leaders from initiating any such discussions as his government approaches the halfway mark of two-and-a-half years in November this year. Although the Congress high command had not openly spoken about the leadership change, there were speculations over a power-sharing agreement between the CM and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The DyCM’s supporters had aired their views openly on many occasions. Congress’s central leadership had neither denied nor accepted having such a pact. That strategic silence gave credence to speculations and had even emboldened leaders to go public with their views.
Even AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge had not firmly ruled out anything when he recently stated that “nobody here [Bengaluru] can say what is going on in the high command... which has the power to take further action.”
But, do they really have the power to take any action? As things stand, it appears as if the Congress high command is boxed into a corner. Siddaramaiah wouldn’t have made those assertions without knowing his party’s limitations in this regard.
The party’s central leadership cannot afford to antagonize the CM, who enjoys the support of the majority of legislators and has consistently positioned himself as a champion of backward classes and minority communities. So much so, that the party is even roping him in to mobilize the OBC support base in other states. Perhaps, he remains one of the very few mass leaders in Congress now. Expectedly, he doesn’t want to surrender the advantages he enjoys.
While the CM stumped the high command and tried to brush off any claims by the DyCM or his supporters, the Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Satish Jarkiholi went further to say “the match is over”. The latest developments have certainly emboldened the CM’s camp.
Shivakumar, who is credited with turning around the party’s fortunes in the 2023 assembly polls, nurtures the ambition to become the CM. As KPCC president and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah worked together to bring the party to power. And they both were the claimants for the top post.
Although he appears to be taken aback by CM’s political posturing, Shivakumar has not said anything to precipitate a crisis, and seems to be counting on the party leaders in Delhi to protect his political interests. Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga leader, is known for his loyalty to the party and the Gandhi family.
While Siddaramaiah and his team are batting on the front foot, Shivakumar appears to be keeping his cards close to his chest. Henceforth, as the state Congress president and DyCM, Shivakumar is likely to be more assertive and go that extra mile to fulfill the aspirations of his supporters in the cabinet reshuffle and appointments to the boards and corporations. It is also unclear if the CM can expect the same kind of cooperation from the DyCM and his supporters.
It would be interesting to see how the Congress president handles the developments in his home state and reacts to CM’s remarks. Kharge was in Bengaluru when Siddaramaiah made those assertions in the national capital and was trying to get an appointment to meet Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
The CM seems to have conveyed the message he wanted to while maintaining that he and the DyCM would abide by the decision of the central leadership.
Congress leaders and workers in the state expect the central leaders to make their stance clear to ensure that the party and the government work cohesively. Their silence could only give rise to factionalism.
On their part, the CM and DyCM have an onerous task of ensuring that the latest developments do not have any repercussions on the administration. Politics should not take precedence over governance.