New Delhi : Twists, turns, suspense and drama. One would expect all this in the ongoing latest season of Bigg Boss Kannada. But, it seems to be playing out in Karnataka’s political sphere, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his bete noire and deputy, DK Shivakumar, locked in an escalating leadership tussle. With no signs of a thaw, the drama is set to shift to New Delhi in the house of the Big Boss, aka, the omnipresent Congress high command.
While Shivakumar, who belongs to the powerful Vokkaliga community, has dropped cryptic hints that his patience was wearing thin, Siddaramaiah, an OBC leader, has firmly maintained that he would continue till 2028. The drama has coincided with the Siddaramaiah government completing half of its five-year term.
The week began with intense lobbying by both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar camps, with around 10 MLAs loyal to the deputy chief minister travelling to Delhi to pitch for his elevation as the chief minister. At the centre of the row is the political grapevine that the Congress leadership promised Shivakumar that he would be made the chief minister for the second half of the Congress regime.
KARNATAKA CM TUSSLE
- The Karnataka drama will now shift 1,800 km to Delhi, with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying that he would call a meeting of senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, to resolve the issue. “The entire high command team will discuss and put an end to the confusion,” Kharge said.
- However, a fresh twist added to the confusion on Thursday. There seems to be a rift in the Siddaramaiah camp after his close aide, Home Minister G Parameshwara, stressed that he had no qualms about accepting Shivakumar as the CM if the high command decided so. Minutes later, another Siddaramaiah aide, Zameer Ahmed Khan, asserted that the top post was not vacant till 2028.
- Shivakumar, on the other hand, has been dropping subtle hints of his impatience. First, he posted a cryptic message on X, saying, “Word power is world power. The biggest force in the world was to keep one’s word.” Later, he denied having written any such thing.
- Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, previously said that only 5-6 people in the party knew of the “secret deal” on the issue of sharing power. “I have not asked to make me the CM. It is a secret deal between five and six of us,” he said.
- The shrewd tactician, known as a troubleshooter in the Congress, has also been making his moves. On Tuesday, Shivakumar held a late-night meeting with minister and Siddaramaiah aide Satish Jarkiholi. Jarkiholi allegedly told him that he “will not abandon Siddaramaiah”, sources said.
- Interestingly, Shivakumar did not meet Congress chief Kharge when he arrived in Bengaluru over the weekend. Kharge held an hour-long meeting with Siddaramaiah. Sources also said he hasn’t been able to speak with Rahul Gandhi.
- Amid the power play, both leaders have maintained they would abide by the decision of the Congress high command. They have also reaffirmed that all the 140 Congress MLAs were united, rubbishing BJP’s claims that a snap election was imminent.
- Siddaramaiah, who has been holding secret meetings with his own loyal MLAs, has been pushing for a reshuffle of his Cabinet, which is being seen as a bid by him to consolidate his position. Shivakumar wants the party to first decide on leadership change.
- Who carries more heft? Siddaramaiah, who has enjoyed the support of the Congress leadership, is seen as a mass leader with significant support from SC, ST, Muslims, and OBC voters. Shivakumar, however, is known for his organisational capabilities and election management skills.
- At the heart of the Congress government’s leadership crisis in Karnataka is the “2.5-year formula”. The party has faced this conundrum in both Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh recently. It lost power in both elections. A decision on Karnataka is expected before December 1.
