As the Congress government in Karnataka gears up for celebrations on May 20 to mark the completion of two years in office, the last 12 months were perhaps the most gruelling of Siddaramaiah’s seven years of chief ministership, including the five during his first tenure from 2013-2018.
Although his administration’s image took a beating, the CM, constantly in crisis control mode, successfully weathered many storms and consolidated his position in the government and party. Similarly, Deputy CM and State Congress president DK Shivakumar, too, withstood attempts to weaken his position in the party, while keeping alive his ambition to helm the state.
The Congress, which reclaimed power with a thumping majority in May 2023 on an anti-corruption plank, faced a barrage of allegations. The CM was in the eye of the storm over the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) allocating sites to his wife in a prime residential locality in Mysuru.
He is fighting the legal battle long after his wife returned the sites to avoid further embarrassment to the CM and the government. Many in the government felt the issue could have been handled in a much better manner to minimize the damage caused to Siddaramaiah’s image.
The spin-off of the MUDA controversy was the confrontation between the government and the Raj Bhavan. The Congress was miffed over Governor Thawarchand Gehlot’s decision to sanction Siddaramaiah’s prosecution in the MUDA case. The confrontation lingers on over different issues as Congress accuses Raj Bhavan of doing the BJP’s bidding.
Around the same time when the MUDA case came to light, the government was battling allegations over the embezzlement of funds meant for the welfare of people from the scheduled tribes. Several crores were transferred from the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation to private individuals.
The scam came to light after an employee of the corporation died by suicide, leaving behind a death note. Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra resigned, and he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. Although the government constituted the SIT to probe the case and recover money, the scam damaged the government’s image and raised several questions over the functioning of the corporations. Those questions remain unanswered.
Among the many controversies that put the government in a spot was Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna’s allegation in the assembly that around 48 leaders from different parties in Karnataka were honey-trapped, and there was also an attempt made against him. Two months after Rajanna made those explosive remarks and emphasized the need to expose the “directors and producers” behind it, nothing much has been done.
As the administration hops from crisis to crisis, politicians believe that public memory is short and wait for the storm to pass. However, some issues will have a long-term impact on the state and its politics.
Politics apart, a lot needs to be done to fix the basic issues in the state capital. While the government makes ambitious plans like tunnel roads and sky decks, garbage piled up on streets, and the poor state of roads and footpaths speaks volumes about the state of affairs.
Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, may have big plans for the city, but the results are yet to be seen on the ground. It is not clear if the state government’s move to have the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (GBGA) in place to split the city corporation into smaller units, and the CM and the DyCM playing a larger role in administering the city, would help.
On the positive side, the implementation of guarantee schemes is an achievement.
Barring some hitches, like delayed payment of financial assistance to women heads of households under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, the government has shown unwavering commitment to the schemes. Siddaramaiah, who holds the Finance portfolio, allocated Rs 51,034 crore for the schemes in the 2025-26 state budget.
However, the big push for guarantees in the first year of the administration did not help Congress much in the Lok Sabha polls. The party didn’t reach a double-digit mark, as it won 9 out of 28 seats in the AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s home state. BJP and JDS, which fought the polls together, won 17 and 2 seats, respectively.
Independent of the outcome of Lok Sabha polls, Siddaramaiah seems to be trying to strike a fine balance between welfare and development, but the latter hasn’t got a visible push. Also, failure to deftly handle the Socio-Economic Education Survey-2025 (or the caste census, as it is commonly referred to), and internal reservation among the scheduled castes, could create trouble for the CM and his government.
For now, he is playing his cards smartly. By consistently taking on the Union government over several issues, he has emerged as one of the most influential leaders in Congress. Going forward, the Cabinet reshuffle to accommodate new faces and the local body polls will be the big challenges for the CM and the government.
As the government enters its third year in office, fog over the talks on the existence of a power-sharing agreement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar will hopefully clear. Any which way one sees it, it’s a very touchy issue. It will put Congress leadership to the test as the stakes will be high.