BENGALURU: As the Karnataka Assembly prepares for the two-week monsoon session from August 13, one question hangs over Congress leaders: Where will Siddaramaiah sit?
At 78, the man who once dominated the front row now faces age and retirement. Will he move to the third row behind a phalanx of ministers? Or, like former CM BS Yediyurappa, will he retreat to the very last bench? Sources in the legislature revealed that if the veteran leader writes a formal letter specifying his preferred seat, arrangements will be made immediately. Yet those close to him say that comfort will be the deciding factor. “He may not care much for optics. Getting in and out of his seat comfortably matters more,” a source said.
For the Karnataka Congress, Siddaramaiah was their Messi — the tireless goal-scorer who delivered power and held the party’s hopes together. Now, as he prepares to operate from the backbenches, he will still have to prevent the government from being mauled in public.
CM DK Shivakumar, barely two months into the top job, is staring at a critical political test as the Congress government faces a united, aggressive BJP-JDS. An expanded Cabinet with many first-time ministers, some still settling down, adds to the anxiety.
Political analyst BS Murthy said, “Siddaramaiah, the floor fighter, will have to intervene frequently from the back benches.’’
The Karnataka Public Service Commission fiasco, Bidadi land issue, drought and governance failures are set to dominate the session. The opposition is sharpening its knives to exploit inexperienced ministers and corner the CM. With limited preparation time, first-timers will find themselves under the glare of scrutiny.
Any bumbling could prove costly, and damage the Congress’s buildup for the 2028 Assembly polls.
The government has been working hard to build a favourable long-term narrative, but the real question is whether it can survive. For the opposition BJP-JDS, this session is an opportunity to project the Congress as directionless. For the Congress, it will be a litmus test for coordination, floor management and leadership, and all eyes on Shivakumar.
Karnataka’s political future may be shaped by how the session unfolds, and where the veteran will sit. Siddaramaiah was elevated as Opposition leader in June 2009 but served as a regular MLA before that. Even when the 14-month coalition government was in power, he was not in the front benches because he was the Coordination Committee chairman.