A day after the Congress won back Karnataka from Bharatiya Janata Party, winning 135 seats, it is all set for a new challenge — the CM’s post. On Sunday morning, the southern state woke up to a battle of posters by Congress workers belonging to Karnataka Congress Chief Shivakumar and former CM Siddaramaiah’s factions.
Given the popularity of both the candidates, the road to selection will not be without hurdles. During a press conference on Saturday, an emotional DK Shivakumar broke down on and stressed on hardships that he went through to give the party a chance and convince the people of Karnataka to vote for them.
A Look At The Two Contenders For Top Spot
SIDDARAMAIAH
The Congress warhorse, donning is favourite classic white ‘panche’ (dhoti) and crisp white kurta with a gold-bordered angavastra (traditional shawl), made headlines during the campaigning for the Karnataka elections. He stole the limelight as he declared the 2023 polls his last electoral battle. On the issue of one-upmanship between him and Shivakumar, Siddaramaih had denied any differences.
DK SHIVAKUMAR
Often seen with the Gandhis, Shivakumar rose to fame in 2017 when Sonia Gandhi’s long-time advisor, the late Ahmed Patel, faced a tough Rajya Sabha election. As the counting was on, media persons and observers camped at the Taj Hotel in Ahmedabad noticed a quiet man who was clearly not a Gujarati. He was constantly on the phone, ensuring that the Congress MLAs were kept safely together, away from the prying eyes of the BJP.
The task for DK, as he is called in political circles, was to ensure no MLA was poached. Ahmed Patel won in a stunner and DK ‘the silent trouble-shooter’ was born. What endeared DK to the senior leadership was also the fact that the Karnataka leg of the Bharat Jodo yatra by Rahul Gandhi was one of the best organised and successful ones.
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