Karnataka, one of the few states where the Congress is comparatively strong, is witnessing another bout of infighting in the party ahead of next year's assembly elections. The Siddaramaiah versus DK Shivakumar battle, put on hold since the party went out of power in 2019, has surfaced again. This time, Mr Shivakumar has made the first move, aiming to be the party's Chief Ministerial face.
Mr Siddaramaiah had a five-year stint as the Chief Minister before the Congress was forced to tie up with HD Kumaraswamy, the chief of Janata Dal Secular, in 2018 to keep the BJP out of power.
After the Kumaraswamy government collapsed following what came to be known as Operation Lotus, the infighting abated. Mr Shivakumar, who had carved out a space for himself as the party's trouble shooter, was named the state unit chief.
This time, the trouble started as supporters of the both leaders began promoting them as the next Chief Ministerial candidate.
The tension intensified as Mr Shivakumar – an influential leader from the Vokkaliga community -- expressed his desire to become the next Chief Minister. His attempt consolidate the Vokkaliga votes drew flak from Zameer Ahmed, a loyalist of Mr Siddaramaiah.
Nobody can become the next Chief Minister with support of just one community, Mr Ahmed said, escalating the situation.
A crisis is expected as the 75th birthday of Mr SIddaramaiah draws near. His supporters are organising a huge programme in Davangere on August 3.
The loyalists are calling it "Siddaramothsava" to project Mr Siddaramaiah as the Chief Ministerial candidate – a situation that is unlikely to be ignored by the supporters of Mr Shivakumar.
The infighting has brought glee to the BJP camp. Today, R Ashok, the state's revenue minister said the infighting in Karnataka Congress is similar to the one seen in Punjab.
The party, which was ruling Punjab with a massive mandate, imploded after the year-long tussle between then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu.
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