Survey indicates Cong win, triggers race for CM's post

Bengaluru: The recent survey indicating victory for the Congress in the State is likely to do more damage to the party than good as two stalwarts of the party – D.K. Shivakumar, KPCC president, and S Siddaramiah, former CM and Opposition leader -- are engaged in bitter race for the Chief Minister's post.

The survey published in a popular vernacular daily has indicated that the Congress might win wafer thin majority. Explaining the findings of the survey, Shivakumar stated that these findings were based on the recent victories the Congress has achieved in various levels of elections in Karnataka. "Even if we keep the survey results aside and think in terms of anti-incumbency, the BJP may not be a favourite party to head the government following the various lapses and erosion of internal democracy. In such conditions, the time is ripe for the Congress to come back to power," Shivakumar observed.

Bolstered by the party's credible performance in the council elections recently, despite losing in Mandya and Tumakuru when the party was ruling in the State, Congress would be a clear favourite, according to the survey. With internal bickerings in the ruling BJP and flock deserting the Janata Dal (S) of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, the Congress appears to be surfing on the wave of confidence. But the recent happenings in the party, particularly after S Siddaramiah has agreed to the pressure of his followers to hold 'Siddaramotsava' in Davanagere on 3 August, it is now clear that the party has two warring factions each headed by Siddaramiah and Shivakumar. Siddaramiah is now seen with a few MLAs close to him like his protégé Zameer Ahmed Khan.

Is it the 'Siddaramotsava' (75th birthday celebrations of Siddaramaiah) which has been the cause of the great divide in the party leadership? Yes, say the leaders on the other side. The situation is the brainchild of Siddaramiah to put up this show, though he claims he does not know his date of birth or year, but agreed to the pressure from his followers that he is actually 75 years old. The group led by Shivakumar has no doubt that 'Siddaramotsava' is intended to be a show of strength of the veteran leader.

Shivakumar has already made a statement that there is no chance for individualistic tendencies and 'survey or no survey we will fight the elections under collective leadership'.

But on Tuesday Siddaramiah made his intentions clear by addressing the party unit of Mysu ru and declaring assertively that "2023 would be his last election and I will not contest from Chamundeshwari constituency where I lost in 2018 due to a conspiracy". His followers interpret this as an appeal to the party and his voters to support him one last time.