The differences between former chief minister Siddaramaiah and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar, the two top contenders for the chief minister’s post, threatens to spoil the party’s smooth and successful ride to power in the key southern state that it has wrested from the BJP with a thumping margin.
The grand old party has announced that its new government in the state will take charge on May 18, but ironically there is still no clarity on who will wear the crown.
The two Congress heavyweights in the state are old rivals, but the grand old party under Mallikarjun Kharge did a commendable job to keep them together in the run up to the assembly elections.
But the period of bonhomie seems to be over now. The results are out and the time has come to enjoy the fruits of success. Both the leaders want the top job and are not ready to budge.
This has presented a dilemma for Congress as it does not want to antagonize either of the two leaders. Especially when Siddaramaiah is a popular pro-Dalit leader and Shivakumar is a Vokkaliga strongman.
First it was their supporters who raised the pitch for the two leaders, then followed a poster war and now the contenders themselves are speaking through media.
In fact, even when the results were being counted, Siddaramaiah’s son started the campaign and said “his father should become the chief minister, if Karnataka has to prosper.”
Siddaramaiah’s supporters cite his successful 5-year stint from 2013 to 2018 to claim that he is the natural choice for the chief minister’s post.
DKS, on the other hand, cites his work as the party president, especially through a period of turmoil when several Congress MLAs dumped the party to join the BJP, in scripting this huge win.
DKS has reminded the party how Sonia Gandhi had asked him to deliver Karnataka for the party. And deliver he has in the most convincing way. He now wants the Congress to acknowledge and also reward his efforts.
The state Congress chief has pledged his unflinching loyalty to the high command and the Gandhis, but he is being defiant. He was summoned to Delhi on Monday but has avoided the visit citing health reasons.
Siddaramaiah, meanwhile, is in Delhi and has met the party chief. He has gone on record to say that majority of MLAs are backing him, this despite the fact that the opinion of legislators was reportedly taken in a secret ballot.
DKS responded to this claim with a swipe that he does not have the support of any MLA but all the 135 Congress MLAs have won under his leadership as the state party chief.
All the three Congress observers have submitted their report to Kharge. The Congress chief has around two days to take a decision or arrive at a compromise formula that keeps both the contenders happy.
Watch Siddaramaiah vs DK Shivakumar: Tug of war over Karnataka CM post; several meetings of Congress leaders remain inconclusive
