JOIN USDK Shivakumar turns to professional firms to get Congress in shape
State Congress president D K Shivakumar has been holding talks with professional political strategy and communications firms keeping in mind the 2023 Assembly polls with parallel attempts under way internally to prop him as the chief ministerial candidate.
Earlier this week, Shivakumar was given a presentation by Gujarat-headquartered DesignBoxed that offered a strategic outlook for the party going forward. This firm has designed political campaigns for elections in Rajasthan, Punjab, Chhattisgarh among others.
In the past, Shivakumar met political strategist Prashant Kishor and a company that designed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy’s election campaign among others, sources said.
"Shivakumar is seeking professional help in assessment and surveys at the ground level in assembly constituencies. He is also looking at a concerted social media strategy for the party," a party leader who attended the DesignBoxed meeting with Shivakumar said. This meeting was set up by Congress MP Karti Chidambaram. Youth Congress leader Mohammed Nalapad has already onboarded DesignBoxed for his political strategy.
Another senior leader said the idea behind roping in professional firms was to help the party counter the BJP effectively during polls. "The BJP has a paid army that can be dismantled in Delhi and set up in Bengaluru within a fortnight. We need campaign machinery like that.”
Internally, those in Shivakumar’s camp are trying to get him to mend his image in what is being seen as a game of one-upmanship with Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah. "If he’s going to be the chief ministerial candidate, he has to shed the tags of being 'bande' (rock) and troubleshooter," a leader loyal to Shivakumar said, adding that his 'acceptability' in the Lingayat-strong north Karnataka was crucial.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, both seen as power centres, have kept mum on claims made by some leaders projecting each of them as the next chief minister.
Apparently, for the November 3 bypolls, they had the following arrangement: The Sira ticket went to former minister TB Jayachandra, who was Siddaramaiah’s pick. The Rajarajeshwarinagar ticket choice of debutant Kusuma Hanumantharayappa was Shivakumar’s.
"Even if we say that Siddaramaiah has a say in 65 constituencies with MLAs loyal to him, Shivakumar should look at another 100 constituencies where MLAs can support him. To do this, he needs professional help in assessments while deciding on tickets," the leader quoted above said.