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The month of November appears to be crucial for Karnataka politics, as the ruling Congress would complete half of its five-year term (on November 20), and the party leaders are keenly expecting an end to the confusion around the much-talked-about leadership change. The month is also crucial, as Bihar is going to polls in two phases. Camps of both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar are expected to engage in hectic political parleys both in Bengaluru and New Delhi in the coming two to three weeks. Dinner meeting To begin with, Mr. Siddarmaiah and his loyal Ministers are expected to hold a dinner meeting at former Minister K.N. Rajanna’s residence in Tumakuru on November 7. After completing a few official programmes there, Mr. Siddaramaiah and Ministers belonging to the AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) are expected to meet for dinner. Though Mr. Rajanna downplayed it, sources said that loyalists of Mr. Siddaramaiah are expected to discuss the political game plan to be adopted during talks with the party high command. Meanwhile, Mr. Shivakumar is set to visit Delhi around November 10 to invite the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to Bengaluru for a foundation-laying ceremony of 100 Congress Bhavans in different districts. He will likely place his demands before Mr. Gandhi then and also meet other top leaders. The party sources said the Deputy Chief Minister is hoping to put pressure on the party’s high command to ensure a smooth transfer of power, as per the pact reportedly agreed upon when the party came to power in May 2023. Mr. Shivakumar’s loyalists appear to have been strongly opposing the Cabinet reshuffle as planned by the Chief Minister. Visits to Delhi The Chief Minister is likely to visit the national capital on November 15, a day after the Bihar election results, and is expected to stay there for 2-3 days. Mr. Siddaramaiah, without seeking the confidence of the party’s high command, went ahead and declared his intention to serve as the Chief Minister for the entire five-year term. During his meeting with Mr. Gandhi and AICC leaders, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr. Siddaramaiah is expected to brief them on political developments in the State and seek their nod for the Cabinet reshuffle, citing completion of the two-and-a-half-year term. He has also been issuing statements on the Cabinet reshuffle to provide an opportunity for fresh faces to serve in the government. The Chief Minister might also press for a change of leadership in the KPCC. He is expected to push the name of PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, a Dalit. Mr. Shivakumar’s tenure as the State Congress chief was extended, though the high command announced that he would be replaced after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Kharge’s role Mr. Kharge is expected to play a vital role in this entire process of multiple negotiations, as he is aware of the political developments in the State. The Congress functionaries claimed that the top brass is expected to clear the uncertainty surrounding the leadership change in November itself, as it has been impacting the governance in the State. The big question is whether Congress, given the party’s reliance on the OBC vote bank, prepared to replace Mr. Siddaramiah, a tall OBC leader.
