The name that the media has failed to mention in the transition of power in Karnataka is none other than Lok sabha MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi – in fact she is the one to suggest the name to Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi that DK Shivakumar would infuse new energy in the cadres of South India .
Political experts feel that Siddaramaiah is unwilling to leave the comfort zone and move to Delhi where a bigger role is waiting for him as a towering dalit leader of India. He is the man of the masses and he could attract Dalit and Muslim voters back to the fold of Congress who had split earlier for greener pasters to regional parties and get political coverage.
DK Shivakumar did not miss an opportunity to touch the feet of his senior who stood on his path to the seats of total control. DK is a smart negotiator and he has never lost his communication with his mentors in Delhi. Many legal hurdles came but he said just one sentence – anything for my party! Ten Janpath is not ignorant of the fact that he is the one to move the youth towards the congress in the Southern part of India.
DK’s visit to Delhi will increase in the future and he will try to be in hotline keeping Delhi in the loop. DK knows he can venture into more investments from MNC in Bengaluru and Hyderabad both under congress regime and both are IT hubs. Being in Delhi he can always put a request in front of the Prime Minister – to connect Gurgaon with Bangalore & Hyderabad. In this process he will be creating a Bermudas triangle for the IT sectors of the world and explore the Indian potentials – and discover IT talents navigate in an era of AI.
Coming back to the political part of the story Siddaramaiah, Karnataka’s longest-serving Chief Minister, resigned on Thursday, ending days of suspense after the Congress high command told him to step down and pave the way for his deputy DK Shivakumar. However, the firebrand leader, in a parting shot, said he would be actively involved in state politics and declined the Congress high command’s offer of a Rajya Sabha seat. Shivakumar, whose tug-of-war with Siddaramaiah over the top post has played out over the past few months, is all set to take over as the new CM with two to three deputies to ensure the caste equation remains balanced.
Addressing a press conference shortly after his resignation, Siddaramaiah said he was making way for a new CM, but had no interest in a national role. “When the high command asks me to resign, I will resign. Two days back, the high command asked me to step down. Hence, I have resigned,” Siddaramaiah, among the tallest Congress OBC leaders, said. However, the outgoing CM said he declined the offer for a Rajya Sabha seat. “I will continue in active politics in Karnataka. Have no interest in national role,” Siddaramaiah said.
During his meeting with the Congress brass earlier this week, Siddaramaiah was offered a Rajya Sabha seat. The move was to tackle two birds with one stone. One is to bring an OBC leader like Siddaramaiah to the national stage to boost Rahul Gandhi’s social justice campaign. The other was to tactfully avoid a confrontation between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. On Thursday, Siddaramaiah dismissed speculation of any bad blood. “Always believed that we should stay as one family… Ensured equality during my tenure,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah broke the news of his resignation to his Cabinet over a closely watched breakfast meeting. Shivakumar, who was present, was seen embracing Siddaramaiah and even touching his feet to seek his blessings. The optics were enough to confirm that a leadership transition in the state was to take place. Before the media briefing, Siddaramaiah submitted his resignation to the secretary of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who is out of the state. The governor is likely to return by the end of the day.
A firebrand leader, Siddaramaiah became Karnataka’s longest-serving CM in January earlier this year, overtaking his political mentor D Devaraj Urs. An astute leader in the old-school mould, Siddaramaiah built his legacy on welfare politics and OBC mobilisation. He highlighted this during the press conference. “I neither chased money nor craved for building properties; my political life is an open book,” Siddaramaiah said.
Over the years, he assiduously cultivated the AHINDA support base (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits). It is believed to be behind the Congress’s return to power in the state in 2023. Siddaramaiah, a Kuruba, was born into a farming family before pursuing a career in law. He cut his teeth in electoral politics after entering the Karnataka assembly from Chamundeshwari in 1983.
Over the years, Siddaramaiah had stints in various Janata Parivar factions before joining the Congress in 2006. It came after his political fallout with JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda. It altered the course of his career as well as that of the Congress in the state. It now remains to be seen what the future holds for Siddaramaiah. He is still an MLA, and his public rejection of the Rajya Sabha offer has opened a can of worms.
Sources said the outgoing Karnataka CM would head to Delhi later in the day to meet the Congress high command. He is likely to have a one-on-one meeting with Rahul Gandhi as well over the future course of action. The Congress leadership wants Siddaramaiah to take up a more important national role in the run-up to the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
It’s a matter of just six months – Siddaramaiah who tried to stop DK Shivakumar from becoming the CM of Karnataka will try to protect him and ask the high command to let him continue as the CM. Once he comes to Delhi his perspective for power will definitely change – mark my words!
