The run-up to the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Sunday evening was marked by intense lobbying by the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar in a bid to be chosen as Chief Minister of the State. The two leaders had put up a united front during the campaign for the Assembly polls. They had admitted that both were aspirants for the post, but that the party high command would finally take a call.
Calls to MLAs
Multiple MLAs in the party said the two leaders began making calls to them even before the results were declared on Saturday, appealing to them to support them in the CLP meeting. On Saturday, while Mr. Shivakumar had been on a whirlwind tour of several mutts and expressed his desire to be the Chief Minister, Mr. Siddaramaiah, who returned to the city from his constituency on Saturday night, maintained a low profile and had several MLAs-elect visiting him at his residence.
Even minutes before the CLP meeting, Mr. Siddaramaiah was at senior leader K.J. George’s house making last-minute calls. Mr. Shivakumar was also busy making last-minute appeals. Shangri-La hotel, where the CLP meeting was being held, was surrounded by thousands of Congress supporters raising slogans on behalf of Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar.
Vokkaliga seers’ back DKS
The lobbying acquired clear caste hues as minutes before the CLP meeting, two prominent Vokkaliga seers openly batted for Mr. Shivakumar to be elected as the next Chief Minister of the State.
“It is a tradition that whoever is the president of the party is also given the responsibility to lead the State when the party comes to power. Now that Mr. Shivakumar has helped the Congress come to power in the State, we appeal to the party to follow the same principle now. He is eligible to lead the State in every way. He is from our Vokkaliga community, and since he has brought the party to power, we request all Congress leaders to provide an opportunity to Mr. Shivakumar,” said Nirmalanandanatha Swami, adding Mr. Shivakumar should be rewarded for the hard work he has put in.
By rotation?
Sources in the party said the high command and many State leaders not aligned to either camp were keen that there was no voting to elect the Chief Minister, as this would lead to factionalism in the party. “We are trying to broker a power-sharing arrangement between the two leaders to avoid conflict,” a senior Congress MLA said. Sources said making Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar Chief Ministers by rotation was being discussed, even as the two leaders seem to be adamant about a full term.
Caste calculations
Those in favour of Mr. Shivakumar have argued that the vote share of the Congress going up in the Vokkaliga bastion had to be credited to the leader. However, the counter-argument is that Congress has got wide support from various communities. The spike in the vote share in Bombay Karnataka and Central Karnataka by 5.9 percentage points indicates Lingayat support, while a majority of SC/ST seats are won by the Congress this time. There is also significant support by OBCs and consolidation of Muslim votes, a senior Congress leader pointed out.
The nature of the mandate the party has got has created an uphill task for the Congress high command to not only choose the next Chief Minister but also ensure that all communities that supported the party are placated in the power-sharing process. “There is a proposal to create multiple Deputy Chief Minister posts to accommodate and distribute power to various communities such as Lingayats, Dalits, and maybe even Muslims and, in case Mr. Shivakumar is not made the Chief Minister, to Vokkaligas,” a senior leader said.
