Does K’taka need more Deputy CMs a head of polls?

Does Karnataka need more Deputy Chief Ministers or not?

That is the question doing the rounds in political circles now after some heavyweights in the state Congress held a meeting on Thursday, reportedly to discuss the issue of Deputy CMs to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Some of them like Minister KN Rajanna feel that this will boost the party’s fortunes in the coming Lok Sabha polls in the state and more so if adequate representation is given to sections like the SCs, STs and other communities which have hitherto not found enough (weight) in the Cabinet.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has reacted to these reports saying that the prospect of sharing the post with more Deputy CMs is something on which the Congress high command would have to take a call.

It is a well-known fact that Shivakumar was allotted the prestigious post of Deputy CM in the heady days after the spectacular Congress victory in May, 2023 when he and Siddaramaiah were top contenders for the CM post.

There were reports then that one condition which was accepted by the Congress leadership was that Shivakumar would be the only Deputy CM if he had to concede the CM post to Siddaramaiah.

There were also reports that an informal power sharing arrangement had been agreed upon and the current CM would give way to his deputy in due course of time.

With the leadership tussle resolved, the Congress party had settled down to the task of governance and has no doubt won accolades in the past few months by implementing the guarantee schemes promised in its manifesto.

Women are travelling free in government buses across the state and the free power scheme has come as a big boon to poor and middle-class families at a time when inflationary trends are on the upward spiral with prices of grains and other commodities of common use rising and rising.

The dole outs for women heads of families and unemployed youth have also provided a big respite to those struggling to make both ends meet amid economic distress.

The induction of more Deputy CMs will no doubt lead to a political churning as every community which feels it has not received its fair proportion of representation in the Cabinet, is likely to up the ante.

There are enough political heavyweights in the state ministry who would any day qualify to be deputies to the CM and so the Congress top brass is sure to find it an immensely difficult task to decide on the nominees for the post if at all it gives in to the demand for more Deputy CMs.

One also can’t help wondering about the implications of such a move at a time when the state Congress has set its eyes on winning a good number of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.

Political divisions are something the party can ill-afford at a time when pundits have been predicting a victory for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the national level.

And if the ‘Deputy CM’ issue starts taking centre stage at a time when the party should be focusing all its energies on its poll strategy and campaign, it is sure to take the sheen of the Congress poll machine’s performance after the fabulous job it did during the Assembly campaign earlier this year.

There is no doubt that community sentiments need to be acknowledged and respected so that no one feels they have been given a raw deal during power sharing.

However it would be in the best interests of the party that such touchy questions are left to the post Lok Sabha poll scenario when a power sharing pact can be worked out taking into consideration all factors – caste, region and community to the satisfaction of all.