NEW DELHI: The Congress would have a strong feeling of deja vu about the turn of events in Karnataka. The grand-old-party stares at a political crisis in the state that threatens the very stability of its government. Ironically, while the crisis is in Karnataka, on test is the Congress high command – which has proved to be a bad crisis manager in recent times.The open power tussle between chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar has reached a point of no return, forcing the top leadership into a huddle. Ironically, the seeds of the current crisis were sown two-and-a-half years back – when both the regional stalwarts had staked claim to the CM post – following the party’s emphatic victory over the BJP in the 2023 assembly elections. So the big question is: Has the top Congress leadership failed to act in time, yet again?
We have seen similar leadership tussles play out in two states – Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan – where the factionalism between state Congress leaders played a key role in the party eventually losing power. The common thread in all three states has been the Congress leadership’s reluctance to act decisively in the fight between the party’s old guard and the younger leaders.In Madhya Pradesh, when Jyotiraditya Scindia wanted to step into the leadership role, Congress backed veteran heavyweights Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh. This eventually saw the Scindia Junior quitting the party and joining the BJP. Scindia’s revolt brought down the Congress government and in the next assembly elections, Kamal Nath and Digivijay Singh failed miserably to counter the BJP. Today, the Congress in Madhya Pradesh is in doldrums while Scindia is a Union minister.In Rajasthan, when Sachin Pilot, who as state president had led the Congress to emphatic victory in 2018, sought the chief minister’s chair, the party again backed state veteran Ashok Gehlot. Gehlot, who had led the party to defeat in 2013, became the chief minister again and Sachin Pilot and his supporters were left disappointed. When Sachin stepped up his campaign for the top job, Gehlot used his full might to crush the rebellion. Pilot, who camped at a resort with his supporters, was eventually convinced by the Gandhi family to stay with the party. While the party high command bet big on Gehlot, he could not win the state in 2024.Now, we see a similar script play out in Karnataka. Siddramaiah, who was made the chief minister in 2013, led the party to defeat in 2018. DK Shivakumar, as the state Congress president, played a key role in the party’s victory in 2023. But once again, senior leader Siddaramaiah staked claim to the top post and the party eventually went with him. DKS then remained defiant for almost a week before eventually relenting. DKS now claims that there was a secret deal in the know of five-six people about rotating the post of chief minister and wants the Congress high command to ensure that he gets his due. But the Congress high command, as usual, allowed the crisis to blow out of hand. And now, when the factionalism is out in the open, it is trying to broker a truce.The last-minute crisis management may save the Congress government in Karnataka for now, but the open power tussle has the potential to damage the party’s image and perhaps also its electoral prospects. The Congress had managed a historic victory against the BJP in 2023. Instead of consolidating its gains, the party finds itself managing the power play between its state leadership. But then, this is how the Congress high command has worked in recent years. The Congress high command needed to anticipate this crisis in Karnataka and should have worked to find a balance between Siddaramaiah, who is past his prime, and DKS – who is the strongest contender to lead the party forward. Perhaps the Congress leadership needs to be reminded about an old adage: A stitch in time saves nine.It will be interesting to see how the Congress high command wriggles out of this crisis and how much this impacts the party’s prospects in the 2028 assembly elections. Is the grand old party on the verge of losing yet another state?
