Top Congress leader G Parameshwara opens up party strategy for Karnataka elections, CM's post and issues

There are 2,62,42,561 male voters and 2,59,26,319 female

Karnataka’s former deputy chief minister and senior leader Dr G Parameshwara said he was in the race to become the chief minister if the Congress wrests power from the BJP in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.

The senior leader, who has served as the second in command to then chief minister Siddaramaiah in 2013, said the natural progression towards the CM’s seat would be his in an interview.

Parameshwara said the Congress is riding on a new strategy in the upcoming election to ensure a handsome win. "Any party has to get the majority. All of us, be it DK Shivakumar or Siddaramaiah or myself or other leaders, our fundamental objective should be to bring that number 113. Then we can all fight," he said.

On his chances of becoming state CM, Parmeshwara said his credentials for the top post were strong. "I have put 35 years in my political career. When you have been a deputy chief minister, naturally, the next step would be, for anybody who has been in this position, to become the chief minister. Again, I repeat, we must get the majority and all of us have to collectively fight this election."
On Congress' strategy for the state, the senior leader said winnability is the criterion, but after winning, party will also have to see who will run away from us and who will not. "It is important that they should not cross sides. That is also one of the factors that we are looking into more seriously this time. After the results, in case, there arises a situation where it is a borderline case to get the majority, we will have to see who will stay with us."

"It was different in Karnataka in 2018 and 2013. Both times, I was the state Congress president. Both elections were different. Our strategy also was totally different because we were in the power. We had given so many good schemes, development was also at its peak. Despite that, we lost. Our strategy did not work as we became complacent and we had given the Bhagya schemes. In 2018, we had become too complacent that is why we lost. This time, it’s will be different and we will not be complacent about anything. We are now in the war field and we have to apply a strategy, cash in on BJP’s failures and ask people not to waste their votes on JDS as it is not coming to power on their own any time soon. By electing an MLA from the JDS, how is it going to help forming a government? They have not been able to form a government for so many years. Naturally, we are appealing to give us an opportunity to deliver good and stable government. Political stability is very important."

On the issues this Karnataka election is being fought, he said, the younger generation wants employment. Women must be given 50% reservation in local bodies. Lakhs of womenfolk are tearing the local bodies and that is a change and an extraordinary factor. The third factor is investment and industry development.