Perhaps it required a political shove for the Congress high command after its government in Madhya Pradesh plunged into crisis to take a final call on the long pending issue of reconstituting the Karnataka Congress unit and appointing its ‘go-to-man’, former Minister DK Shivakumar, as the President.
Even as the Congress high command rewarded Shivakumar for sticking out his neck out during the party’s troubled times, be it at the national or state level, it has been prudent enough to take care of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s interests too. He will continue as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) chief and opposition leader in the legislative assembly, a demand which he had reportedly placed before the high command, which had been toying with the idea of splitting the two posts.
Though Siddaramaiah could not stop Shivakumar from bagging the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President post, his suggestion to appoint working presidents was approved by the party. The Howdu Huliya (Yes bravo) name given to Siddaramaiah by a worker in north Karnataka has come to stick to him, but he is reportedly not happy with the developments though his confidante, former Minister Satish L Jarkiholi, has been made one of the working presidents along with former MLC and party’s hands-on man, Saleem Ahmed, while Eshwar Khandre has been retained in the same post making it a trio combination.
According to Congress sources, Siddaramaiah is reportedly miffed at Shivakumar’s elevation as he had lobbied for former minister MB Patil, a Lingayat, which was also one of the reasons for the Congress leadership’s delay in deciding the new KPCC President.
Siddaramaiah tweeted: “I am confident he (Shivakumar) will further strengthen the party and also the party workers will strengthen him.”
With an eye to rebuild the Congress in Karnataka, the sole state in the south that has stood by the party at all times, the party’s bosses in New Delhi seemed to have made a last ditch effort to regain power here. Assembly elections in Karnataka are due in 2023. Emphasis has been on the caste in making the choices with Shivakumar being a Vokkaliga, Khandre a Lingayat, Siddaramaiah a Kuruba but identified as Ahinda (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) leader, Jarkiholi a scheduled tribe and Ahmed a Muslim. The party has also ensured that contemporaries have been made the incumbents as all are 58 years old, while Ahmed is 53 years old and Siddaramaiah is 71.
A glaring omission, however, is representation for the Scheduled Castes, which have stood by the Congress, notwithstanding their gradual leaning towards the BJP since 2008. Former Deputy CM G Parameshwara, a Dalit, was an aspirant for the CLP’s leader’s post.
Challenges before DKS
The Congress high command’s gamble on Shivakumar also takes into account factors other than his organisational skills. It is after 21 years the KPCC will have a Vokkaliga heading it with former Union Minister SM Krishna, now in BJP, being the last.
“Shivakumar’s responsibility will be to get the Vokkaliga votes which the Congress party could not get despite Krishna being at the helm, as the community stood steadfast with JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda,” a senior Congress legislator said.
The Vokkaliga belt in Karnataka comprises Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru rural, Tumakuru, Mandya, Hassan and Chikkamagaluru. According to a rough estimate, Lingayats account for 17% to 22% of the 6.5 crore of Karnataka’s population and Vokkaligas between 12% to 15%. The JD(S) seats tally has been from these districts in past elections, though the party is on a decline now. The 2018 Assembly, 2019 Lok Sabha and the 15 Assembly bye-polls have shown the BJP encroaching into the JD(S) domain, which otherwise should have gone to the Congress.
Karnataka will face urban bodies and panchayat polls this year, with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections being the big challenge. Shivakumar’s political prowess will be put to the test here. During the 2018 Assembly and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, money was a major constraint for the party, which he has to magnanimously address.
While stitching together a faction-ridden Congress, Shivakumar has to build bridges, the biggest one being with Siddaramaiah. “Both have one common responsibility – to take on the BJP – which can be achieved if they work in tandem,” sources said.
Homas, temple runs, buying peace with foes within the party and a tacit lobbying finally fetched Shivakumar the coveted post. “With the long wait over, the Shivakumar-Siddaramaiah team is a solid step towards reorganising the party at the grassroots level,” Congress MLC Prakash K Rathod said.
How did DKS come into the national spotlight? Shivakumar came to be recognised at the national level when he played host to Congress MLAs from Maharashtra in 2002 and Gujarat legislators in 2017 against poaching by the BJP. A go-getter, who has steadily built equations with businessmen and politicians across parties at the national level, back home his foes are more within the party. According to Congress sources, his aggressive nature, riding roughshod over others are said to be his drawbacks.
Over the years, party insiders claim Shivakumar has mellowed down as he realised that mending fences might make the path less difficult for him to achieve his political ambitions, which includes the Chief Minister post.
Naheed Ataulla is a journalist who has covered Karnataka politics for over two decades, and is a former Political Editor of The Times of India. Views expressed are the author’s own.