The power tussle in Karnataka between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the president of the party in the state, seems to have reached a crescendo, with some ministers and party legislators openly demanding a change of guard in the government and the party.
The Siddaramaiah camp has revived its demand to appoint deputy chief ministers from other castes and a new state party chief citing the ‘one man, one post’ rule. The Shivakumar camp has called for the replacement of the chief minister, reminding the high command of the power sharing formula.
At the heart of the conflict is a ‘secret pact’ for power sharing mooted by the Congress high command in May 2023 to placate the top two contenders for the chief minister’s post after the party wrested power from the BJP. After a thumping victory, 135 of 224 seats, a bitter battle broke out between the two leaders, forcing the party leadership to arrive at the peace formula to end the stalemate. Accordingly, Siddaramaiah, a mass leader and Kuruba leader who holds sway over the AHINDA (minorities, dalits and backward classes) voters, became chief minister and Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga strongman, was appointed deputy chief minister. Shivakumar was also allowed to retain the state party chief’s post.
The demand for multiple deputy chief ministers has been on since then, and it gained momentum prior to the Lok Sabha polls. Cooperation Minister K.N. Rajanna urged the party leadership to appoint one deputy chief minister each from Lingayats, dalits and the minorities. But the party leadership put the foot down and the factions were forced to put up a united front. After the Lok Sabha polls, however, the demand resurfaced. Shivakumar loyalists see this move as an effort to diminish his stature in the party. The strategy, they say, is to dissuade him from staking the claim to the top post by weakening his position in the party.
Denne historien er fra July 14, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 14, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Use multi-asset investing to overcome portfolio volatility
EQUITY MARKETS have been choppy during this year. After rallying for the better part of the first nine months of 2024, equities corrected sharply in October and November, before taking off once again on rally mode in December.
Twist of faith
Upamanyu Chatterjee is back with his wry sense of humour in his new novel, and most of it is directed at religion and spirituality
THE GLORY OF SARI
Saris of Memory weaves together history and textiles, highlighting key moments from the author's collection
We win together
We invented chess, which was pretty cool of us. The original game 'chaturanga'that is four divisions (infantry, cavalry, elephantry and chariotry)-was a war strategy game. When the game travelled to the Middle East, they mangled the Sanskrit and it ended up being called 'shatranj' instead.
BEATS THAT HEAL
Music ignites the light within us, says Grammy-winner Chandrika Tandon
Older, smarter, sexier
Those who worship him regardless of where he works have continued to do so. Such is the power of Alessandro Michele, that after being the face of some mega brands for 10 years (namely Gucci and now Valentino), he remains bigger than the labels themselves. His debut collection for Valentino was presented at the recent Paris Haute Couture Week, and it has been adored by his adorers.
The road to peace
Future political dialogues should explore means of ensuring a more robust autonomy to tribal communities
Diary of a Sherpa
Amitabh Kant's new book is a comprehensive account of the G20 Summit held in Delhi in 2023
The annoying orange
Everything is great. All is sunshine. I am an eternal optimist.\" It's the fad of our TikTok times everything is not great, the sun sets daily, nothing is eternal. If anything, everything is ephemeral, night brings darkness, and optimism often crumbles under the weight of history. British philosopher Roger Scruton warned: \"Hope untempered by the evidence of history is a dangerous asset, one that threatens not only those who embrace it, but all those within range of their illusions.\"
NO SEAT, YET UPBEAT
The Congress is buoyed by its increased vote share in Delhi, and feels it can push the AAP into further decline
