DK Shivakumar visits Siddaganga Mutt in Tumkur, religious center of Lingayat community
Bengaluru:
Stirring the pot for those looking at the uphill task of electing Karnataka’s next chief minister, state Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Sunday said he has made “sacrifices many times” for the party.
Mr Shivakumar, who is the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, made the remarks after visiting the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumkur, the religious center of the Lingayat community, which played a key role in the Congress’ victory.
“Some people say that I have differences with Siddaramaiah, but I want to clarify that there is no difference between us. Many times I have made sacrifices for the party and stand by Siddaramaiah ji,” Shivakumar told reporters. I have supported Siddaramaiah.” ,
Mr. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are being seen as the two main contenders for the chief minister’s post after the Congress party’s victory in the state assembly elections on Saturday. The party secured 136 seats out of 224, defeating the incumbent BJP, which won only 66 seats.
The Congress party has called a meeting of its newly elected legislators at a hotel in Bengaluru on Sunday evening where they are expected to pass a resolution authorizing the party’s top leadership to decide on the chief ministerial candidate. Sources said that no final decision will be taken yet, but opinion of all the MLAs will be taken.
The choice of chief minister is likely to be a delicate balancing act for the Congress party, as it will have to consider factors such as caste, region and seniority. Mr. Shivakumar belongs to the influential Vokkaliga community, which dominates southern Karnataka, while Mr. Siddaramaiah is a Kuruba, a backward caste group that has a sizeable presence in central and northern Karnataka.
While Congress’ chief troubleshooter Mr. Shivakumar has left no stone unturned to bail it out of dire straits, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has declared that this is his last election. There is also a command of supporters of both the leaders who are lobbying for their candidature.
On Saturday, posters were put up outside Mr Shivakumar’s residence in Bengaluru, wishing him in advance on his birthday, which falls on May 15, and congratulating him as the “new Chief Minister of Karnataka”. On Sunday, posters were also seen outside Siddaramaiah’s residence in Bengaluru, calling him the “next chief minister of Karnataka”.