Cong strikes balance between DKS & Siddaramaiah in appointment of office bearers in K'taka

After a long wait for the position of Karnataka Congress president to be announced the party high command has finally announced that DK Shivakumar will take over the reins of the state unit. Former CM Siddaramaiah, who had resigned from the post of Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Congress Legislative Party (CLP), has been asked to continue in both the posts.

Meanwhile, the Congress veteran often called the ‘rock from Kanakapura’, has been given 3 deputies, much against his wishes. Satish Jarkiholi, Eashwar Khandre and Saleem Ahmed have been made working presidents of KPCC.

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Balancing act

The Congress high command seems to attempt a precarious caste balance with the appointments. Lingayats for the biggest vote bank in Karnataka and have traditionally been loyal voters of the BJP. With their tallest leader, BS Yediyurappa in the last leg of his career, Congress hopes to appease the community with Eashwar Khandre’s continuation as the working president.

Satish Jarkiholi’s appointment will serve a dual purpose, appeasement of Siddaramaiah whose camp Satish Jarkiholi has often identified with and also an attempt to cater to the Mumbai Karnataka region which is a BJP stronghold.

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Minorities in the state have often electorally swung in favour of the Congress in Karnataka and to continue wooing them, Saleem Ahmed has been made the working president too. 

After a gap of over 20 years, a Vokkaliga leader has been made the party president in the state, with the last one being DK Shivakumar’s mentor, SM Krishna in 1999. Vokkaligas constitute the second-largest vote base in Karnataka, after Lingayats. 

Last few months, even after the breakup of the coalition government in Karnataka, despite growing bitterness between senior leaders of JDS and Congress, the bonhomie of DK Shivakumar with the Gowdas had continued. With this appointment, political pundits say that equation could get soured as both Congress and JDS will now vie for the Old Mysuru region.

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Just after the announcement, the two senior leaders, DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah were seen exchanging pleasantries in the assembly, congratulating each other. 

Dinesh Gundurao had resigned as president of KPCC on December 9th after the party’s humiliating loss in the crucial byelections in the state. Since then, while Rao continued to discharge duties, the delay in announcement of his replacement had unsettled many leaders. The timing of this announcement coming on the day that one of Congress’ senior leaders, Jyotiraditya Scindia joining BJP citing lull in Congress, is also curious.

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