Within hours after BS Yeddyurappa resigned, a beaming Rahul Gandhi emerged in what was his first press conference since the party’s embarrassing performance in the Karnataka Assembly elections. The optics of the press conference is not lost on anyone — the Congress president had practically gone underground since the day of the party’s defeat, only to reemerge in New Delhi the moment things started to appear to go in Congress’ favour.
Back in Bangalore, for many of Congress’ young workers, the real hero in Congress’ victory — if you can call it that — is Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar. One of the members of Indian Youth Congress, Karnataka, told Newslaundry that Shivakumar was the “sher [tiger]” of Karnataka. The chants and slogans in favour of Shivakumar easily beat those praising the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi.
