BENGALURU: Through his budget, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has sent out a message that he may continue as CM and present the budget for 2026-27 too. His supporters, including his son and MLC Dr Yathindra and Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna who wish Siddaramaiah will be CM till 2028, are only reflecting his ambition, political analysts said.
Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president DK Shivakumar, all set to stake claim for the CM post after Siddaramaiah completes his two-and-a-half year term, may have to adopt a new strategy, besides resting hopes on the Congress high command.
With considerable allocation of funds for AHINDA, Siddaramaiah looks ambitious. The CM’s Infrastructure Development Programme (CMIDP) with Rs 8,000 crore allocation is termed ambitious with Siddaramaiah aiming to take MLAs, irrespective of their party affiliation, into confidence. Each of the 224 Assembly constituencies will get an average of Rs 35 crore for developing infrastructure. Though the modalities are yet to be finalised, the CM will have a final say in releasing grants.
Though the existing MLA Local Area Development(LAD) grants of Rs 2 crore per annum are available, the MLAs will be at the mercy of the CM for CMIDP funds, a senior MLA said.
It will be interesting to see how Siddaramaiah will overcome the allegation that despite allocating huge funds to SC/STs under SCSP/TSP, he has diverted funds to the guarantees. Leader of Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy alleges that Rs 38,860.52 crore has been diverted.
Otherwise, Siddaramaiah, who aims to break the record of former CM late D Devaraj Urs as longest serving CM with seven years 238 days in office, has resorted to tricks in the budget to keep his image intact. He has announced the CM’s Kaushalya Karnataka Yojane 2.0, CM’s 1 Lakh Multi-storey Housing Scheme to provide financial assistance to 12,153 beneficiaries under the Rajiv Housing Corporation and CM’s Minority Colony Development Programme at Rs 1,000 crore.
Apart from benefiting AHINDA communities, he has laid out schemes to appease backward classes, including Kurubas -- his community, the party high command, influential Congress leaders and his hometown Mysuru.
He has tried to please backward communities with D Devaraj Urs Residential Schools in each of the four revenue divisions for students belonging to 46 nomadic and semi-nomadic communities of backward classes, Rs 34 crore for Kaginele Development Authority, steps to complete ‘Anubhava Mantapa’, Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna stadium in Yelburgi taluk (Rs 6 cr) and Rs 28 crore for Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna Authority.
The Pragati Patha Scheme for rural road connectivity with an outlay of Rs 5,200 crore, 286 projects under the scheme for 38 Assembly constituencies in Kalyana Karnataka at Rs 1,000 crore, programmes worth Rs 5,000 crore for the development of Kalyana Karnataka by KKRDB will get him into the good books of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Even Shivakumar, as Bengaluru development minister, could not have asked for more as the yearly grant of Rs 3,000 crore to improve basic infrastructure has been enhanced to Rs 7,000 crore, while the government has stood guarantee to BBMP for Rs 19,000 crore for the tunnel road projects at a cost of Rs 40,000 crore.