All eyes on Shivakumar’s next move amid Siddaramaiah’s ambitions to lead party in K’taka Assembly polls

Bengaluru, Feb 13 (IANS) Fingers are crossed in the ruling Congress in Karnataka following Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s announcement that he is willing to complete his term and lead the party in the next Assembly elections.

The Congress camp is particularly concerned about Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar’s cryptic tweets, stating that “attempts might be futile, but prayers will surely fetch victory.”

This comes right after AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s statement regarding the appointment of new state presidents for the party.

Meanwhile, Minister for PWD Satish Jarkiholi, a close associate of CM Siddaramaiah, camped in New Delhi for two days and met with high command leaders.

Minister of Cooperation K.N. Rajanna, a staunch follower of CM Siddaramaiah, also visited New Delhi.

Home Minister G. Parameshwara is expected to travel there next week.

All these leaders belong to oppressed communities and are reportedly lobbying against Deputy CM Shivakumar’s dominance in the party at the behest of CM Siddaramaiah.

Shivakumar now faces a challenging situation — on one hand, he risks losing his position as State President, and on the other, his hopes of emerging as the unquestioned leader of the party in the next Karnataka Assembly election have taken a serious hit given CM Siddaramaiah’s announcement that he not only intends to complete his term but is also open to serving a third term.

Moreover, Shivakumar is being challenged by ministers aligned with Siddaramaiah, who have openly defied him.

These ministers have strongly advocated for the creation of more Deputy CM positions in the state and have pushed for a Dalit candidate for the CM post in case of a leadership change.

Shivakumar, who hails from the Vokkaliga community, played a crucial role in consolidating Vokkaliga votes for the Congress party during the Assembly elections.

He was projected as a CM candidate alongside CM Siddaramaiah. However, with prominent leaders from oppressed communities uniting and lobbying against him, it remains to be seen how he will navigate this political challenge.

Sources suggest that the party high command is treading carefully, as any decision could send the wrong signal to the masses and the party’s organisation would take a serious hit.

Despite allegations of irregularities and some incidents of serious nature occurring in the state, the opposition BJP and JD(S) were not able to disturb the ruling Congress as CM Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar stood united.

It is feared that if their unity is broken, the party would plunge into chaos.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy are making all efforts to regain command over the Vokkaliga community.

Reports indicate that the ruling Congress party is set to witness intense political activity starting next week. So far, tensions have remained under wraps due to the prestigious Aero India 2025 show and the Global Investors’ Meet being held in Bengaluru.

–IANS

mka/rad