Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are within the working for the Chief Minister publish
Bengaluru:
The Congress’s cautious method to resolving the ‘DK Shivakumar or Siddaramaiah’ conundrum in Karnataka has triggered a side-effect — new claims from completely different caste teams for the chief minister publish.
The All India Veershaiva Mahasabha, which represents the influential Lingayat group, has bid for the highest publish, citing that 34 of the newly elected Congress MLAs are Lingayats. The swing of the Lingayat vote, as soon as a key help base of the BJP, has been recognized as a key issue within the Congress win this time.
One other declare has are available from the Dalit group. Supporters of veteran Congress chief G Parameshwara held an illustration, demanding that the Dalit chief be chosen for the Chief Minister publish. On the gathering in Tumkur, placards studying “a Dalit ought to be CM” have been waved.
In a letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha has mentioned that the Congress had fielded 46 candidates from the group and 34 of them received.
The organisation has key Lingayat leaders amongst its members. Its president is 91-year-old Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, Karnataka’s oldest MLA who received from Davangere South this time.
“Additional extra, we want to deliver to your sort discover that our group has performed a serious function in electing different smaller communities in different 50 constituencies. This exhibits that the normal voters of the BJP has shifted its loyalty to Congress celebration, thereby supporting the Congress celebration to win 134 constituencies within the state,” the letter provides.
The group, which accounts for 17 per cent of Karnataka’s inhabitants, can probably swing outcomes in almost 100 seats. It’s the group’s electoral significance that noticed all events vie for its help and promote Lingayat leaders within the run-up to the polls.
The organisation has additional urged that it’s important that the Congress retains the help of the group for the overall election due subsequent 12 months.
“Contemplating the above details, we now urge the Congress celebration to provide an opportunity/take into account (a) Veerashaiva Lingayat group chief for the publish of Chief Minister of Karnataka state,” the letter states.
The organisation has additionally requested the Congress chief to make sure a variety of cupboard berths for the group “which is proportionate to the variety of MLAs of our group”.
The demand for the Chief Minister publish, nonetheless, appears extra like a stress constructing tactic as the 2 tallest Congress leaders in Karnataka are in working for the job and no third identify has been come up in discussions to this point.
As soon as a key help base of the BJP, the Lingayats backed the Congress this time, ends in the seats dominated by the group have indicated.
Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who switched from the BJP to the Congress days earlier than polls, advised NTDV that the Lingayats help the Congress this time.
A key issue behind the Lingayat swing might be the elimination of BS Yediyurappa, BJP veteran and tallest Lingayat chief in Karnataka, as chief minister over corruption prices. Whereas the BJP changed him with Basavaraj Bommai, one other Lingayat chief, the outcomes point out it didn’t assist the celebration’s ballot prospects. Even the final minute transfer to scrap 4% reservation to Muslims and its reallocation amongst Lingayats and Vokkaliga didn’t not work within the BJP’s favour.
The seeds of Congress’ present dilemma over the selection of a chief minister have been, in actual fact, sown throughout their ballot marketing campaign. To tackle the BJP’s formidable election equipment, the celebration prevented projecting a single chief because the face of its marketing campaign. As an alternative, it projected the trio of Mr Shivakumar, Mr Siddaramaiah and its nationwide chief Mr Kharge as main its Karnataka push.
Whereas Mr Shivakumar belongs to the influential Vokkaliga group, which dominates southern Karnataka, Mr Siddaramaiah is a Kuruba, a backward caste group that has sizeable presence in central and northern Karnataka. With the Dalit roots of its nationwide president Kharge, Congress acquired a panel of leaders that appealed, in complete, to an enormous chunk of Karnataka’s inhabitants.
Whereas this vastly benefited the Congress marketing campaign and paved the best way for its victory, the competing claims for the highest job at the moment are proving to be a hurdle in its decision-making.
