Reversal of roles in Congress places state in spotlight

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Who is more powerful in the Congress, especially after the results of five state Assembly polls? Is it the high command or state leaders?

As far as Karnataka is concerned, it is the CLP Leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC President DK Shivakumar who are more powerful than the current and past presidents of AICC, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Given the precarious position of the Congress in the wake of its historic defeat in five states, local leaders will have more say, be it in the selection of candidates or the appointment office-bearers in the poll-bound state.

All these years it was state leaders who were going to Delhi to meet the Gandhi family to get permission for different things. The Delhi leaders were having the final say in the selection of candidates no matter how influential the state leaders were. The final approval had to be given ostensibly by the Gandhis. Now, this will be the other way around as far as Karnataka is concerned.

The “Huliya” of Karnataka has become the most sought-after leader for Sonia Gandhi, as she consults him on every programme. Even Rahul Gandhi dials Siddaramaiah in case of any swift political development in the country. In fact, the Gandhis wanted Siddaramaiah to be in Delhi, and offered him the post of AICC General Secretary, which the Mysuru man rejected as he wanted to be in state politics. Having nearly 30-35 years of experience in politics, the Badami MLA has turned into a seasoned politician who has the statistics of all projects at his fingertips.

With just over a year left for the Karnataka Assembly polls, Siddaramaiah will have a say in the selection of Congress candidates even though DK Shivakumar is the president of the KPCC. The high command has to depend on Siddaramaiah on the selection of candidates. On the other hand, Rahul and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra take the suggestions of Shivakumar on certain issues.

Since the Congress has almost been eliminated in most of the states, the high command is pinning its hopes on Karnataka as the prospective state to grab power in next year’s Assembly polls. So, the Gandhi family is really at the mercy of the state leaders. The Delhi leaders feel that Karnataka Congress leaders will play a big role in the revival of the grand old party of India.