Fissures in the Karnataka Congress seem to be widening over the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2023 Legislative Assembly elections, with KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar emphasising that “organisation is bigger than individual ambition'', apparently referring to a mega birthday bash of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah next month in Davangere. The event is perceived as an attempt at projecting the latter as the Chief Ministerial candidate.
‘Collective leadership’
The party high command has repeatedly issued sermons to leaders that the party would go to polls under “collective leadership.” Despite being seen as a “weak” high command, sources said the party’s central leaders are unlikely to succumb to diktat of the State leaders on projecting the CM face ahead of elections.
A few months ago, AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala had issued a stern statement that central Congress leadership and MLAs will decide the issue (of CM) at an appropriate time. All Congress leaders will fight the battle unitedly, he had said.
Mr. Shivakumar and Mr. Siddaramaiah were huddled with former party president and MP Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi last week to resolve differences on issues related to the party’s affairs. Media was informed that leaders had fruitful discussions on the party’s preparations, campaigns and strategy for the forthcoming Assembly elections. However, now, yet again, both leaders appear to be at loggerheads on projecting the CM face.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Shivakumar opposed projecting any leader as the party’s CM face. Recalling three decades of his work as a Congress worker, KPCC chief recalled that he was kept out of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by N. Dharam Singh in 2004-05 at the behest of JD(S) leaders. Being a loyal party leader, he supported Mr. Siddaramaiah becoming the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly despite the latter’s defeat in one of the constituencies (Chamundeshwari).
The KPCC chief, however, said Mr. Siddaramaiah had informed him about the formation of a committee by his loyalists to hold a programme called “Siddaramotsava.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Siddaramaiah defended the birthday show saying that former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa too celebrated his birthday on a grand scale at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru and he too had attended it. A five-member committee headed by R.V. Deshpande has been constituted to hold a month-long birthday programme from August 3.
Why Davanagere?
Questions have been raised about the place of the programme. Though Mr. Siddaramaiah hails from Mysuru and elected from Badami, why is Davangere selected for holding the programme, loyalists of KPCC chief's camp have questioned.
Sources said the party kicked off the poll bugle in 2013 from Davangere, and hence, loyalists of Mr. Siddaramaiah consider the town as an “ideal location” for the birthday bash. Mr. Shivakumar’s camp sees the proposed massive convention as an attempt to send a message to the party high command ahead of polls.
