New Delhi, May 31: Rahul Gandhi today took a decisive step in the party's battle to retain Karnataka which will go to polls early next year by declaring that chief minister K. Siddaramaiah will remain the party's face in the state.
The early decision scotches rumours about reservations against the incumbent chief minister and the possibility of projecting either a new face or collective leadership, keeping the question of next chief minister open before the election. It is rare for the Congress to announce its chief ministerial face so many months before the election.
A media release issued this evening said: "The coming election in Karnataka will be fought under the leadership of K. Siddaramaiah, the present chief minister."
It was Rahul who influenced the decision in Siddaramaiah's favour five years ago, overruling objections from party veterans who felt a leader who came from the Janata Dal should not be given the reins straightaway.
Rahul had met leaders from Karnataka last week and expressed displeasure over the factional tussles ahead of the crucial election. Karnataka is the only high-profile state, other than Punjab, under Congress rule.
Rahul warned the dissenters of strict action if any attempt was made to create trouble at this stage, insisting that a united Congress would easily be able to defeat the BJP.
Today's announcement is set to turn Karnataka election into a personality clash between Siddaramaiah and BJP's B.S. Yeddyurappa. The Congress is also contemplating a pre-poll alliance with H.D. Deve Gowda's Janata Dal-S to fortify itself against a resurgent BJP.
Rahul decided to retain G. Parameshwara as the state unit chief but asked him to immediately resign from the government to concentrate on his organisational responsibilities.
Veteran leader S.R. Patil has been appointed the working president along with Dinesh Gundurao. While Patil will look after northern Karnataka, Gundurao will take charge of the southern part. The clear demarcation of responsibility at the top is a novel idea.
Rahul has also done a balancing act in order to contain rebellion by refusing to accept the chief minister's demand for a change in the PCC chief. Siddaramaiah has strained relations with Parameshwara and both of them have tried to restrict each other's influence in the party. By retaining Parameshwara as PCC chief, Rahul has tried to keep everybody happy.
Another senior leader and a minister, D.K. Shivakumar, has been appointed the chairman of the campaign committee. Former Union minister K.H. Muniyappa has been included in the Congress Working Committee as a special invitee. Another leader from the state, Satish Jarkholi, has been appointed AICC secretary.
With this new arrangement, while Rahul fulfilled for the first time the avowed goal of creating the election mechanism much in advance, he has also created a rainbow coalition of castes and varied social groups.
The chief minister himself is a Kuruba, an important OBC caste, and Parameshwara is a Dalit. With senior state leader Mallikararjun Kharge holding the Leader of Opposition post in the Lok Sabha and Muniyappa getting inducted into the CWC, Dalits have adequately rewarded by the party in the state.
Siddaramaiah's politics has created an impression that forward castes have been ignored by the Congress and the exit of S.M. Krishna, a powerful Vokkaliga leader, had deepened that feeling. Hence S.R. Patil, a Lingayat, was made the working president and Shivakumar, a strong Vokkaliga leader, has been appointed as the campaign committee chairman.
