The assembly election results in Karnataka have given rise to several narratives and conclusions about the voting patterns of different caste groups, the relevance of personality-driven politics, the extent to which religious polarization and hate propaganda can mobilize voters, etc.
However, one issue being discussed is how former IAS officer (Karnataka cadre) Shashikant Senthil, a native of Tamil Nadu, who left the civil services and joined the Congress party in 2019, has been appointed as the chairman of the Congress war room in Karnataka. Appointed, in the recently concluded elections BJP state president and former IPS officer K. Performed better than Annamalai.
talking to HinduMr Shashikant said though he understood the comparison, he felt he was part of a larger system.
“We are all a part of a bigger system. The people decided to change the government. Both of us (him and Annamalai) are doing what we think is right. I have never been in headlines like this before.”
When asked about his future plans, Mr. Sasikanth said, “I personally want to come to Tamil Nadu and work in the state. Tamil Nadu will be my base. But we will set up similar connect centers in other states (like Karnataka) as well.”
“I will be more active politically in Tamil Nadu. I will be involved in organization-building from the ground up. I want to travel and understand the state. Though I am from Tamil Nadu, I was not in the state for almost 11 years (when he was in IAS). I need to get a sense of the state again. I’ll be doing a lot of traveling in the first month.”
Asked how he became the head of the Congress war room in Karnataka, Mr. Sasikanth said, “When I came out of service, I thought I would work on strategy. I headed the Tamil Nadu War Room and launched the ‘Vanga Oru Kai Papom’ campaign. After the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the other big election we were facing was in Karnataka. It was clear that I had to work in Karnataka as I had worked there for 11 years.”