Supporters of Congress leader Siddaramaiah outside the Legislature Party meeting venue in Bengaluru on Sunday. , Photo Credit: PTI
For the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Sunday evening, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar lobbied hard to be elected as the chief minister of the state. , During the campaign for the assembly elections, both the leaders formed a united front. He had accepted that both were aspirants for the post, but that the party high command would ultimately decide.
called legislators
Several party MLAs said the two leaders started calling them even before the results were announced on Saturday, urging them to support them in the CLP meeting. On Saturday, while Mr. Shivakumar was on a whirlwind tour of several mutts and expressed his desire to become chief minister, Mr. Siddaramaiah, who returned to the city from his constituency on Saturday night, maintained a low profile and had several MLA-elects That he should go to his residence.
Supporters of KPCC president DK Shivakumar in front of a star hotel where the Congress Legislature Party meeting was held, in Bengaluru. , Photo credit: Sudhakara Jain
Minutes before the Congress Legislature Party meeting, Mr. Siddaramaiah senior leader K.J. Calling at George’s house last minute. Mr. Shivakumar was also busy making last-minute appeals. The Shangri-La Hotel, where the Congress Legislature Party meeting was being held, was surrounded by thousands of Congress supporters, raising slogans on behalf of Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar.
Vokkaliga viewers return DKS
The lobbying took on a clear caste color as minutes before the CLP meeting, two prominent Vokkaliga seers openly advocated the election of Mr. Shivakumar as the next chief minister of the state.
“It is a convention that whoever is the president of the party is also given the responsibility of leading the state if the party comes to power. Now that Mr Shivakumar has helped Congress come to power in the state, we appeal to the party to follow the same principle. He is capable of leading the state in every way. He is from our Vokkaliga community, and since he has brought the party to power, we request all Congress leaders to provide Mr. Shivakumar an opportunity,” said Nirmalanandanath Swamy, rewarding Mr. Shivakumar for his hard work should be done. In.
by rotating
Party sources said the high command and several state leaders who were not aligned to any camp wanted no polling to elect the chief minister as it would create factionalism in the party. “We are trying to work out a power-sharing arrangement between the two leaders to avoid conflict,” said a senior Congress legislator. Sources said that discussions were on to make Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar the Chief Minister by rotation, while both the leaders seem to be adamant on a full term.
Caste Enumeration
Mr Shivakumar’s side has argued that the credit for the growing vote share of the Congress in the Vokkaliga bastion should be given to the leader. However, the counter-argument is that the Congress has received wide support from various communities. An increase of 5.9 percentage points in vote share in Bombay Karnataka and Central Karnataka indicates Lingayat support, while the majority of SC/ST seats have been won by the Congress this time. A senior Congress leader pointed out that the consolidation of OBC and Muslim votes also has significant support.
The nature of the mandate received by the party has made it an uphill task for the Congress high command to not only select the next chief minister but also ensure that all communities supporting the party are included in the power-sharing process. A senior official said, “There is a proposal to create multiple deputy chief minister posts to accommodate different communities like Lingayats, Dalits, and even Muslims and to distribute power, and if Mr. Shivakumar is not made the chief minister, So to Vokkaliga.” said the leader.