Congress eyes reset after Siddaramaiah's resignation to strengthen 2028 Karnataka poll prospects

New Delhi: Shaken by the electoral defeats of the DMK government in Tamil Nadu and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime in West Bengal despite their heavy reliance on guarantee schemes, the Congress has decided to pursue a comprehensive revamp of both the government and party organisation in Karnataka by looking beyond Siddaramaiah to boost its prospects in the 2028 Assembly elections, sources said.

Like Siddaramaiah, both M K Stalin and Mamata Banerjee were also very popular in their respective states and had announced several guarantee schemes. However, voters rejected them, sending a signal that freebies alone do not suffice to win elections, a Congress leader said.

The Congress top leadership has concluded that depending solely on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and welfare schemes will not be sufficient to retain power and took the drastic step of asking him to step down to install a new dispensation, sources said.

At 78, Siddaramaiah will turn 80 by the time of the next polls, raising concerns about his ability to lead an effective campaign amid an expected decline in popularity due to age and anti-incumbency.

Sources indicate that internal assessments have highlighted governance fatigue after three years in power, compounded by factional rivalry between Siddaramaiah and state unit president D K Shivakumar.

Siddaramaiah’s recent announcement that he would not contest the 2028 elections has further triggered unease among legislators, prompting them to look for a new face to lead the government and the party, sources said.

Feedback from the ground has been less than positive regarding a second term for the current dispensation, with administrative fatigue and growing public resentment becoming evident, sources said. Feedback from party workers also suggested the need for fresh leadership and new ideas to address public discontent.

Although the Congress secured victories in recent Assembly by-elections, the party high command senses underlying unpopularity. Hesitation in conducting Gram Panchayat and other local body elections is also seen as a reflection of this wariness, sources said.

Siddaramaiah eventually yielded to the high command’s push for change, realising that failure to do so could lead to legislators drifting away, sources said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is understood to have suggested dropping some ministers and inducting younger faces to inject fresh energy into the administration.

"The defeats of the DMK and TMC governments have served as a stark lesson for the Congress that freebies alone cannot guarantee electoral success. The party is now focused on re-energising its organisation and governance model in Karnataka with an eye firmly on 2028," said a leader.

While acknowledging Siddaramaiah’s popularity as an AHINDA (Minorities, Backward Classes and Dalits) leader, the party top brass believes the organisation must now look beyond AHINDA politics and adopt a more inclusive approach by reaching out to other communities, a senior leader said.

After a detailed assessment, the party decided to make Shivakumar his successor, viewing him as a grassroots leader with strong organisational skills, willing to take bold administrative decisions and confident of carrying all communities along with him, the leader said.