Karnataka elections: Congress leaders have a war to fight among themselves before the battle with BJP

At the crux of the problem is the cold war between Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Elections to the Karnataka Assembly are due in May, but the Congress which hopes to romp home to power, is yet to get its act together. With no sign of cohesiveness among top state leaders, the ordinary worker is totally disillusioned, while sitting MLAs are more concerned about retaining their own seats rather than working for the party’s victory.
At the crux of the problem is the cold war between Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, with both staking claim to the CM’s post even before the party has won the elections.

A Divided House

Siddaramaiah, the tallest leader of the Congress in the state, is a crowd puller, whose grasp over the Constitution, financial issues and politics in general is admired even by his rivals. Shivakumar, an original Congressman – unlike Siddaramaiah who migrated from Janata Dal  (S) – is a warhorse known for his organising skills and crisis management.

Even as Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have their daggers drawn, Dalit leader G Parameshwara who is the Chairman of the Manifesto Committee is sulking, having been totally sidelined, with the party finalising and announcing electoral promises without his knowledge.  Similarly, Lingayat leader MB Patil, who was appointed as the KPCC Campaign Committee Chairman appears to have withdrawn into a shell.

Rumours are rife that Shivakumar has already struck a secret deal with JD(S) supremo HD Kumaraswamy who has supposedly agreed to support his candidature for the Chief Minister’s post if the Congress falls short of the required majority. In return, Shivakumar is said to have promised a smooth sailing for Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumar in Ramanagara constituency, besides a berth in the cabinet.Though this is still in the realm of speculation, nothing can be ruled out in politics. Nikhil who made his electoral debut in 2019 Lok Sabha polls had lost to actress Sumalatha Ambarish in Mandya.

Faction Before Party

Siddaramaiah’s vacillation over choosing a constituency for himself has also done the party no good. In 2018, he left his constituency Varuna in Mysuru district to his son Yathindra and shifted to neighbouring Chamundeshwari, only to face a humiliating defeat. He won with a narrow margin in Badami, the second constituency he had contested from.
This time, after evaluating several constituencies, he zeroed in on Kolar, but with internal surveys indicating that his victory cannot be guaranteed here, he has decided to return to Varuna, which his son was only too keen to vacate. Varuna, which Siddaramaiah represented from 2013 to 2018 is considered the safest seat for him.

Ironically, a few Congress leaders are working at cross purposes, with one camp plotting against the other and actually drawing plans to defeat some candidates, keeping the post-election scenario in mind.

Such manoeuvring is crucial because whoever enjoys the support of the highest number of MLAs if the party comes to power, stands a better chance of becoming the Chief Minister. This has led to a state of flux, with many senior and mid-level leaders confining themselves to their respective constituencies, rather than touring the state to strengthen the party.

Surjewala Makes It Worse

Since both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are crucial for the Congress victory, the high command is apprehensive about naming either of them as the chief ministerial candidate, as this could jeopardise the party’s prospects. Some leaders have suggested that the party should broker a deal where each of them would be chief minister for two-and-a-half years, as leaving the issue unresolved may cause even more damage.

The role of party general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Surjewala has also come into question with leaders accusing him of doing nothing to project a united front by bringing peace between the warring groups. He is also accused of indulging in favouritism and being inaccessible to ordinary workers and ticket aspirants. While the BJP is way ahead when it comes to PR and social media management, the Congress is running around like a headless chicken, as Surjewala has not been able to get the local leadership to craft an effective communication policy.

Though elections are just round the corner, Congress leaders have not realised that the need of the hour is for collective leadership, not one-upmanship. Unless senior leaders bury the hatchet and evolve a well-defined strategy, they may as well write the party’s epitaph right now and not wait till the day of the results.