TOO MANY CONTENDERS

Both the BJP and the Congress have a problem of too many Cm-face contenders for the Karnataka elections. Which is why both parties will probably go into the polls without announcing a CM face. Within the Congress both the LOP and former CM, Siddaramaiah as well as D.K. Shivakumar, the PCC chief, are aspirants. Siddaramaiah has been quoted in a recent interview claiming that the high command would never make Shivakumar the CM. He has since then denied this statement, claiming he had been misquoted. Siddaramaiah has thrown his hat into the CM ring by stating that he is an aspirant for CM as is D.K. Shivakumar, but in the end, as he says, it would be the party high command’s decision. He also added for good measure and a bit of emotional blackmail that this would be his last

election. DKS’ case is also strong. As the state PCC chief he has invested both his resources and organisational skills into rehabilitating the party.

But will Rahul Gandhi give DKS his due—or side with Siddaramaiah? Rahul has always been wary of promoting someone from the Gennext vis-à-vis an older leader, as he did in both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in the last elections. As for the BJP, while the central leadership may prefer Basavaraj Bommai the current

CM, they cannot afford to antagonise the more popular B.S. Yediyurappa (BSY) and are giving the latter due importance in the party posters. But as D.K. Shivakumar summed it up quite well, for BSY to win, the BJP has to lose. However, the Congress should not celebrate too soon. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been seen in Karnataka on numerous occasions of late (my source claims 16 visits in the recent past). And by now the Congress should have learnt its lesson in not underestimating HBS.