1000 days of Siddu, a good show no doubt

A thousand days in office is no mean achievement in these politically turbulent times but Siddaramaiah, the veteran of many a political battle, has done it and seems set to complete his term in 2028 going by the indications emerging from the Congress party. His list of achievements is long and this could be the reason why the Opposition BJP-JD(S) combine, despite its untiring efforts, has not been able to make a dent in the Congress support base.

The ruling party has won bypoll after bypoll, a vindication of its iconic guarantee schemes which have won praise across the political spectrum. Whether it is  Gruha Jyoti ensuring free power, Shakti for free travel for women or Gruha Lakshmi ensuring doles for women heads of families, they have earned a unique place for the Congress in the hearts of Kannadigas. Policies favouring the poor, minorities and oppressed classes have ensured that the Congress endears itself to the majority of the state’s population.

Another reason is that there are few politicians who can match Siddaramaiah’s political acumen, leave aside BS Yediyurappa of the BJP, who however seems to have taken a break from active politics because of advancing age leaving son Vijayendra to fight the political battles.  A financial wizard of the highest order and a socialist at heart, Siddaramaiah has left most of his contemporary leaders far behind with his clarity on issues concerning the state.

The only blemish, if one could call it that, has been a subtle battle for political ascendency with his deputy, DK Shivakumar, who has set his eyes on the CM’s chair.  A power sharing pact between him and the CM when the Congress government was formed in 2023, is what DK has been consistently referring to as he readies  plans to take over the mantle from the ageing Siddaramaiah. The Congress high command has preferred to adopt a wait and watch approach knowing well that upsetting the applecart in one of the few states under its belt, could be fraught with political consequences.

As for the Opposition, there does not seem to be much of a threat to the Congress with HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) away in Delhi and local BJP leaders like R. Ashok and Arvind Bellad yet to emerge as a formidable challenge to a battle-scarred leader like Siddaramaiah. Former CMs Jagadish Shettar and Basavaraj Bommai have been sent to parliament and do not seem to have much of a say in state politics. Siddaramaiah can therefore look forward to an uneventful tenure for the next two years as long as he is able to command the support of the high command and ensure the ‘challenge from within’ is contained in the best manner possible.