Siddaramaiah on Congress OBC panel: Will CM step down and pave way for new leadership in Karnataka?

Will Chief Minister Siddaramaiah step down and move into national politics to pave the way for new leadership in Karnataka?

 

The inclusion of the 76-year-old popular ‘Ahinda’ leader in the AICC’s Backward Classes Advisory Council, as one of its 24 members, has sparked speculation over a leadership change in the state.

 

Union minister Prahlad Joshi claimed that Siddaramaiah’s “elevation” to the party’s national forum was an indication that the veteran will be asked to step down as the chief minister.

 

“Siddaramaiah’s inclusion in the advisory council along with other chief ministers and former chief ministers is a clear indication that the party wants him to vacate the chief minister's post and move to national politics. It is a sudden development. How can a sitting chief minister devote time to such a huge responsibility?” asked Joshi.

 

Opposition leader R. Ashok alleged there was a conspiracy within the Congress to dislodge Siddaramaiah. “A power-sharing agreement for the chief minister post is in place. Siddaramaiah will certainly be given a gate pass. The Congress MLAs are speaking about it openly. By making him a part of the AICC’s Backward Classes Advisory Council, the party has practically issued a boarding pass to Siddaramaiah.”

 

The ongoing power tussle between Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief and deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar is reaching a finale, said Congress legislators and ministers, predicting a “September Kranti” in the state, which is vehemently being denied by the chief minister, DCM and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is gathering opinion of legislators on the performance of the Siddaramaiah cabinet.

 

Amid rumours of Siddaramaiah being elevated as the chairman of the AICC’s OBC advisory council, which will meet in Bengaluru on July 15, the CM clarified that he was only a member of the council and would be hosting the national-level meeting at the Bharat Jodo Bhavan in the Congress office in Bengaluru.

 

The Congress party defended the move saying Siddaramaiah’s inclusion would greatly benefit the party and the ‘Ahinda’ (minorities, backward classes and dalit) cause, as the veteran leader is a champion of the ‘Ahinda’ cause and has designed schemes like Anna Bhagya that impact a majority of the OBC communities. The schemes are not only popular in the state but are being emulated by other non-Congress states too, said party leaders.

 

The party in Karnataka is facing factional feuds and power tussle owing to its long list of CMs-in-waiting – from Kharge, D.K. Shivakumar, G. Parameshwara to M.B. Patil. But Siddaramaiah, who joined the Congress (from JDS) in 2007, outran his contenders twice – in 2013 and 2023, to become the chief minister by successfully garnering support from the ‘Ahinda’ voters and the party legislators.  

 

Siddaramaiah shifting to national politics is no new strategy. AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, a nine-time MLA, moved to national politics in 2009 by entering the Lok Sabha for the first time. While Siddaramaiah has occupied the top post twice, the party veteran Kharge has lost out in the CM’s race thrice – to S.M. Krishna (1999), Dharam Singh (2004) and Siddaramaiah (2013).

 

Siddaramaiah, a mass leader, holds sway over the ‘Ahinda’ bloc, which is also the traditional votebank of the Congress. But his critics believe that the Congress would enjoy the support of the OBC bloc with or without Siddaramaiah being at the helm.

 

“Vokkaligas and Lingayats are considered OBCs at the national level. The advisory council meeting is being held to uplift the backward classes. In fact, I suggested that the meeting be held here as the party is in power in the state,” said Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga leader.

 

The Congress in Karnataka is facing the same challenge faced by the BJP in 2019, when it had to ensure a smooth transition of power – from B.S. Yediyurappa, the Lingayat strongman and a mass leader, to Basavaraj Bommai. The BJP losing power in 2023 assembly polls is also attributed to the backlash of the politically dominant Lingayat community over the removal of Yediyurappa as the CM.

 

The Congress insiders claim that the high command is hoping for a “smooth transition” of power in the state, and would prefer tact to haste as it is wary of losing the support of the Ahinda voters by removing a mass leader. 

India