D K Shivakumar looks to hit two targets with ‘Vokkaliga CM’ call

By making his chief ministerial ambition clear, Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar is looking to turn the tide in his favour and take the challenge to the Gowda family of the JD(S) as well as his party colleague Siddaramaiah.

On Wednesday, Shivakumar once again gave a clarion call to the dominant Vokkaliga community to support his chief ministerial bid.

“I’m a representative of the community. Sonia Gandhi has made me the party president, a post that has come to the community after 20 years. I’ve said that (Vokkaligas) shouldn’t lose this opportunity,” Shivakumar said, referring to him becoming KPCC president after SM Krishna, also a Vokkaliga. “Every community has self-respect. Let our community come together,” he said, citing the example of how Dalits would want one of their own to become the CM.

In Mysuru on Tuesday, Shivakumar conveyed his CM ambition to Vokkaligas saying, “I’ve reached this stage. For me to become the CM, the Congress should come to power. For that, I’ve asked people to rally behind me.”

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This is Shivakumar’s most assertive expression of his CM ambition since becoming KPCC president in March 2020.

Vokkaliga consolidation will be crucial for Shivakumar as he looks to emerge as a leader of the community. However, he must face the challenge posed by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, the JD(S) supremo who is arguably the tallest Vokkaliga leader.

Shivakumar is keen to break the hold of the Gowda family over the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region. Apparently, he wants to field his brother D K Suresh (Bangalore Rural MP) in the Ramanagara assembly segment, which is former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy’s turf. “Let’s see what the party decides,” Shivakumar said.

Shivakumar’s outreach to the Vokkaliga community is also seen as a counter to Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah’s apparent attempt at consolidating the Ahinda (minorities, backward classes and Dalits) with this August 3 birthday celebration. Siddaramaiah is looking for another shot at becoming the CM.

“By focusing on Ahinda, the upper castes Lingayats and Vokkaligas will move away from the Congress. So, Shivakumar wants to keep the Vokkaligas together by projecting himself,” a source close to the KPCC president said. “It won’t be a surprise if a Lingayat leader from the Congress makes a similar outreach in the coming days.”