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By Sagay Raj: In the midst of the speculation surrounding the leadership of the Congress government in Karnataka after their resounding win in the state Assembly election, political pundits seem to have missed the subtle signs. Despite Siddaramaiah claiming the backing of the CLP (Congress Legislative Party), he has been left waiting and running around, indicating that the High Command is implicitly supporting its go-to man, DK Shivakumar.
In 2013, when Congress secured 120 seats, Siddaramaiah was smoothly elected as the CLP leader, despite Mallikarjun Kharge’s candidacy. The process was a swift and decisive one, lasting only a few hours after the election results.
However, in 2023, even with Congress obtaining a commanding majority of 135 seats, Siddaramaiah has been kept waiting, despite his claim of support from the majority of MLAs.
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In 2013, the credit for the smooth transition can be partially attributed to Siddaramaiah, who led the padayatra to Bellari against the notorious mining barons, the Reddy brothers. Another significant factor was BS Yeddyurappa’s departure from the BJP.
Returning to the present, the Congress High Command’s intentions are abundantly clear. They passed a resolution empowering themselves to decide on the CLP leader, summoning both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar to Delhi for deliberation. They created an atmosphere where both leaders seemed equally likely to be chosen, allowing political maneuvering to ensure their preferred decision was made. The optics were carefully crafted to give the impression that both contenders were on equal footing.
The suspense over the next CM is likely to end tomorrow as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has called a meeting at 11 am on Wednesday at his residence. Both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are going to take part in the meeting.
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