South

Exclusive: DK Shivakumar can become Chief Minister after two and a half years, if…

May 18, 2023
Bharat Times

New Delhi:
Karnataka’s next Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his future deputy DK Shivakumar were accorded a rousing welcome on their arrival in Bengaluru this evening. Both the leaders were seen smiling while maintaining a united face after the 3 am breakthrough.

Here’s your 10-point cheatsheet to this big story:

  1. Mr Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar attended the Legislature Party meeting where the formal election took place. They are now on their way to meet the governor and stake claim to form the government.

  2. Sources said there is a rough understanding of 50:50 power sharing, under which Mr Shivakumar could succeed Mr Siddaramaiah at the top post midway through the term.

  3. But sources said it would depend on the performance of the Congress in the state in the general elections next year. Karnataka has 28 parliamentary seats, making it one of the battleground states.

  4. The five-day standoff over the top post was resolved after former Congress president Sonia Gandhi intervened and persuaded DK Shivakumar to accept the post of Mr Siddaramaiah’s deputy. In addition, he will also have control of the party and will be selected from among the six ministries.

  5. Mr Shivakumar, who had been refusing to budge from his demand for the top post, eventually agreed to “sacrifice for the party”. In an interview to NDTV, he said, “We have left it to the high command, they decide. It is the party’s interest over personal interest. I have to accept the decision of the high command.”

  6. Asked whether it was Sonia Gandhi’s intervention that changed his mind, Mr Shivakumar said, “I don’t want to bring Mrs Gandhi or the Gandhi family into this. I just met Rahul (Gandhi) ji. I met Mallikarjun Kharge.” I met AICC (All India Congress Committee) office-bearers, that’s all.”

  7. DK Suresh, Congress MP and Mr Shivakumar’s brother, however, told NDTV that he was “not happy”. “My brother wanted to become the chief minister. We are not happy with the decision,” he said.

  8. The Congress criticized the BJP’s allegations of chaos in the party, saying they “believe in consensus, not dictatorship”. The BJP’s Basavaraj Bommai had alleged that the five-day public impasse over the top post showed the “lack of unity” in the Congress.

  9. “Siddaramaiah is an experienced politician, an able administrator. He contributed a lot in this election. Similarly, our PCC president is a dynamic party organizer and electrifies the cadre. Both are great assets of the Congress party in Karnataka,” said Congress Senior leader KC Venugopal.

  10. The question of chief ministerial post and party cohesion is important for the Congress ahead of next year’s general elections. While Mr. Shivakumar has followers among the politically important Vokkaliga community, Siddaramaiah is supported by the Ehinda Mancha – an old social coalition of minorities, OBCs and Dalits that had overwhelmingly supported the Congress.