MYSURU: Supporters of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar have taken to religious rituals and symbolic offerings, hoping for divine intervention to pave his way to the CM’s chair.
Their activities drew attention on Monday, particularly because the events unfolded in the hometown of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. A group concluded their 18-day ritual with a special puja at Ayyappa Swamy temple in Mysuru, offering prayers for Shivakumar’s ascent to the top post and left for Sabarimala, describing their journey as part of their vow for his political success.
President of Akhila Karnataka DK Shivakumar Abhimani Balaga Raghavendra said, “Our prayers are not political pressure but an expression of hope that lakhs of supporters have in him.” Meanwhile, members of the Vokkaliga community under the banner Akhila Karnataka Vokkaligara Sangha and several Kannada activists gathered at the 101 Ganapathi Temple and broke coconuts.
Sangha president Thejesh Lokesh Gowda said this gesture was not political but a wish to see the “Disciplined Congress sepoy” become the CM. “DK Shivakumar has strengthened the party from the grassroots and it is high time that the Congress high command make a formal announcement,” he said.