STATE OF PLAY
Over the past few weeks, political circles in Karnataka have been abuzz with intense discussions on the post of the State unit presidents of all the three major political parties, i.e., the Indian National Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S).
Both the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP have been besieged with dissident activities to unseat the incumbent chiefs, while the JD(S) is anxious about the appointment of a new president amid rumours of the Congress making efforts to poach JD(S) legislators. Ironically, the leaders of all parties are taking potshots at rival political leaders on the issue of party leadership. There are some curious subplots too, such as the fact that the Belagavi-based Jharkiholi brothers — Ramesh and Satish — being in the forefront of seeking changes in the BJP and the Congress.
The key issues
In the Congress, the intervention of central leaders seems to have had a limited impact on the discussion of replacing Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the State’s Deputy Chief Minister. Senior cabinet Ministers from the Congress continue to make statements in the public domain, and these include K.N. Rajanna, Satish Jarkiholi and G. Parameshwara. Battered by the veiled attacks from his detractors, a miffed Deputy Chief Minister went to the extent of saying that “the president post was not sale in any store”.
The Ministers have been speaking about the party’s “one man one post” formula and Mr. Shivakumar being saddled with two important portfolios that is affecting organisational work. Internally, however, it is being speculated as the effort by those loyal to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to unsettle and weaken Mr. Shivakumar’s hold on the party, who is waiting in the wings to helm the government.
The Chief Minister’s loyalists have argued that Mr. Shivakumar, who took charge of the party in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, has completed his tenure and what is in place now is only an interim arrangement. A full-fledged president is required to lead the party into the taluk panchayat and zilla panchayat elections. The statements and counter-complaints have been so intense that the All India Congress Committee President, Mallikarjun Kharge, has asked all to “shut up and do their jobs.”.
The BJP too has been facing rebel trouble, with a section of veteran leaders opposing the first-time legislator and BJP State President, B.Y. Vijayendra. Appointed in November 2023, he is the son of former Karnataka Chief Minister and Lingayat strongman B.S. Yediyurappa.
Not only is the group led by the senior legislators Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal and Ramesh Jarkiholi openly defying the party’s diktats but it is also attempting to undermine Mr. Vijayendra’s authority by making personal allegations, ultimately seeking his removal. The dissident group has accused Mr. Vijayendra of making compromises with the Congress on political issues, thus diluting the BJP’s core ideology. Both groups have made multiple visits to New Delhi to meet central leaders, and Mr. Yatnal has been issued notice for his actions.
The lack of unity and effective leaders besides perceived groupism have affected the BJP. The saffron party is seen as having lacklustre outings in the legislature sessions where the ruling Congress’s powerful Ministers and leaders have successfully defended the government despite there being major allegations of corruption and scandals. Though Mr. Vijayendra has been appointed for a term of three years, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that a BJP State unit President will be elected soon. Mr. Vijayendra has expressed his readiness to face this election just as the dissident group has said it is.
The JD(S), whose fortunes seem to be plummeting with each election, is also looking for a new president since the incumbent, H.D. Kumaraswamy, who is the Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, is unable to find the time to carry out his duties. A perceived move to promote his son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy — he has, so far, faced three consecutive electoral defeats — has been put off for the time being. The party has announced that the new president will be ‘elected’ by April 2025. In the past, the first family headed by the party supremo and former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, had a say in appointing the presidents.
sharath.srivatsa@thehindu.co.in
Published – January 20, 2025 12:34 am IST
