What Congress could not do in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, it did in Karnataka. In Rajasthan, the party had promised to make Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot the Chief Ministers one by one, but Gehlot did not allow it to happen. He had challenged the party itself. The party high command has not even been able to make Pilot the President of Rajasthan Congress, so that he can become the natural successor to the post of Chief Minister in the 2028 elections. Similarly, in Chhattisgarh, when the party wanted to hand over the command of the state to TS Singhdev for half the term, Bhupesh Baghel, who had the support of most of the MLAs, had also foiled such an attempt. In both these states, Congress had to bear the brunt of factionalism and lost power in 2023. In contrast, the transfer of power in Karnataka took place peacefully. The credit for this goes to Siddaramaiah, who agreed to give up the CM’s chair for his Deputy Chief Minister. It is not easy for a politician to do this. This time the high command also remained clear about what it wanted. There was unity in the top leadership and also determination to get their decision implemented. Given the increasing dominance of Congress in the South, its stakes regarding Karnataka are higher today. Like Gehlot and Baghel, Siddaramaiah also had majority of his supporting MLAs. But instead of rebelling, they were seen following the instructions of the high command. Whether he gets political benefit from it in future or not, he has definitely built his reputation. They knew that D.K. Shivkumar was putting pressure on the central leadership. In such a situation, the situation could have been confusing for Siddaramaiah and DKS as well as Congress. At one time, there were reports of DKS growing closer to BJP. Perhaps this will also be to increase pressure on the high command. Siddaramaiah had also sensed the changed mood of the high command. Siddaramaiah, who belongs to the Kuruba OBC community, is a leader with a mass base and is considered the architect of the ‘Ahinda’ (backward, minority, Dalit) alliance, which has kept the Congress in a strong position. Due to this, Siddaramaiah became the leader of the opposition twice and was also the Chief Minister twice. Because of his political stature and OBC identity, Rahul Gandhi has been continuously supporting him. But now tomorrow i.e. on June 3, DKS will take oath as the Chief Minister and Siddaramaiah himself proposed his name. Siddaramaiah’s abdication cannot be taken to mean that he is also leaving politics. On the contrary, he has indicated that he will remain active in Karnataka as an MLA. The party offered him a Rajya Sabha seat, but he refused to enter national politics. However, it is difficult to say whether if Congress offers him the post of National President, he will reject it or not. Kharge’s tenure is going to end soon and in such a situation, a president coming from the OBC community can give a new impetus to Rahul’s politics. Just hours before leaving the post of Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah approved the caste census of Karnataka, which he had ordered for 2025. By doing this he has left a difficult political challenge before DKS. If DKS accepts this, his own Vokkaliga community may be upset. If this is put on hold then the OBC community may get angry and rally in favor of Siddaramaiah. The example of Karnataka shows that Rahul and Priyanka are now working in greater coordination when it comes to decision making in the Congress. With this, Congress has further strengthened itself in South India. (These are the author’s own views)
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Neerja Chaudhary’s column: Congress did not repeat its old mistakes in Karnataka
