Siddu for CM in 2023: Loyalists up the ante

By Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: A section of Congress leaders owing allegiance to Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah have urged the high command to declare him the chief ministerial candidate if it wants to come to power in the State. This has put party bosses in a piquant situation as the Congress has a tradition of newly-elected MLAs choosing the Legislative Party leader in consultation with the high command. The new demand by these leaders had also created confusion within the party. The Siddaramaiah loyalists feel the party should project him as the next CM as was done in Punjab where Charanjit Singh Channi was projected as CM ahead of the polls. They are prepared to take this demand to former AICC president Rahul Gandhi who knows about Siddaramaiah’s ability to woo voters.

These leaders assert that it is Siddaramaiah alone who can bring Muslim votes to the Congress kitty. The minority votes are likely to go elsewhere in case the Congress is considering having another leader as CM candidate. However for the high command the bigger worry is that they risk losing the support of the Vokkaligas, Lingayats and even Dalits if Siddaramaiah, a Kuruba is projected as CM.

There is another powerful contender for the CM post-KPCC President D.K.Shivakumar who is leaving no stone unturned to occupy the CM gaddi by wielding his influence in the Vokkaliga strongholds of Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Ramanagar, Tumakuru, Bengaluru Rural and Chitradurga. As for the Lingayats, they may continue supporting the BJP in case Siddaramaiah is declared CM candidate. In the last two decades, the Lingayats have switched their loyalty to the BJP since the Congress did not consider any Lingayat leader for the CM’s post. It may happen again this time because of the race between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the hot seat.

With the Congress high command no longer as strong as it was in earlier decades because of electoral debacles, the Gandhis may have to agree to the candidature of Siddaramaiah as picking any leader other than him is likely to create divisions within the party.

There is also a possibility that Siddaramaiah supporters may be asked to lie low till the Congress crosses the magic number of 113 seats in the 2023 polls.

The high command is aware of the fact that it is only Siddaramaiah who can convince Muslim leaders to stand by the party since they are upset with the Congress for not taking a clear stand on various issues pertaining to Muslims including hijab, the halal cut meat row and the ban on Muslim traders.

On the other hand, another group of Congress leaders are planning to meet the Gandhis to tell them to go to polls under a collective leadership knowing quite well that the party shot itself in the foot in 2018 because of internal squabbles, wrong decisions and the leadership tussle.