Karnataka situation may bother Congress after party's drubbing in Bihar elections

Bengaluru: Badly bruised in Bihar, the Congress high command would now want to exercise greater caution in deciding the way forward in Karnataka where the party has its strongest government.

One reading of the situation is that the Bihar verdict could help Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who belongs to the backward Kuruba (shepherd) community, to stay on even as his deputy DK Shivakumar is waiting at the door.

However slow, the high command must eventually address the Karnataka situation: Siddaramaiah pushing for a Cabinet reshuffle with him continuing at the helm while Shivakumar wanting his fate decided first.

Some in political circles are recalling what transpired in Rajasthan when Congress was in power - the power tussle between then Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot.

According to sources, Shivakumar and his camp may argue with the top brass that the Ahinda (minorities, backward classes and Dalits) coalition was with Congress even before Siddaramaiah joined the party. “The high command may think that it would be better to consolidate one major community in its favour - the Vokkaligas - by making Shivakumar the CM,” one Congressman said.

It is also being said that Siddaramaiah can be placated by giving him a bigger party role and a place in the administration for his MLC son Dr Yathindra.

The CM’s camp has maintained that Siddaramaiah is indispensable. “The high command is aware that forcing Siddaramaiah out would result in the party losing the support of the Kuruba community. So, unless Siddaramaiah is convinced to step aside, there will be a status quo,” a senior Congress leader said.

In Bihar, the Congress’ reliance on other backward classes (OBC) did not yield results. When asked about this, Siddaramaiah retorted: “Who is Nitish Kumar? He, too, belongs to OBC.”

Boost for BJP-JD(S) alliance

For the Opposition, the Bihar result is a morale-booster, presenting a strong case for the BJP-JD(S) alliance when the state goes to polls in 2028. The alliance worked well during the Lok Sabha polls last year.

“Our party is fully supporting the BJP in the alliance,” Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) said after the Bihar result. “Some local BJP leaders have trust issues. The BJP leadership has the capacity to fix all that,” he said. “I’m sure the Bihar result will enthuse BJP leaders in Karnataka as well.”