The Hidden Caste Face-off In Siddaramaiah-DK Shivakumar Karnataka Battle

The Siddaramaiah-DK Shivakumar battle in Karnataka – a squabble over the chief minister's post that has rumbled on since the Congress' 2023 election win – has been recast into a 'Vokkaliga vs Ahinda' political face-off after a high-level meeting at the Chief Minister's residence Thursday.

The attendees included senior leaders Satish Jarkiholi and G Parameshwara, each of whom has had a role to play in this drama. Parameshwara has become a dark horse candidate if neither Siddaramaiah nor DKS back down, and Jarkiholi, who is eyeing DKS' state President post, a rallying point.

Details of that meeting were shared with NDTV.

The core agenda was to counter the 'Vokkaliga chief minister' narrative seen as gaining momentum, particularly after Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji, a noted religious leader from that community, publicly backed Shivakumar and praised his loyalty and long service to the party.

'Loyalty' and 'long service to the Congress' have also been raised by DKS' supporters as they pile pressure on the party's central leadership to swap Siddaramaiah for their man.

All of that support, Siddaramaiah's camp believes, has intensified the narrative of a dominant community – the Vokkaligas and Lingayats are Karnataka's biggest caste groups – being denied a leadership role, particularly since the latter had the BJP's BS Yediyurappa to fly their flag.

And that support also set up the Vokkaliga vs Ahinda battlespace.

Ahinda refers to a multi-group voter base – of minorities, backward classes, and Dalits – that has consistently backed Siddaramaiah, allowing him to claim the title of a 'mass leader' and circumvent the state's otherwise bi-polar caste landscape, i.e., the Vokkaliga-Lingayat divide.

Siddaramaiah wants to remain Chief MInister till he becomes Karnataka's longest-serving leader (File).

That support is a big reason why the Congress tends to back Siddaramaiah; the volume of votes he can influence across the southern states makes him a valuable electoral resource.

DKS, meanwhile, hails from the Vokkaliga community and was credited with directing a large chunk of those votes away from the Janata Dal Secular to the Congress' pocket in 2023.

After orchestrating that win, DKS expected to be appointed the next chief minister. But a majority of the elected MLAs wanted Siddaramaiah, courtesy the Ahinda umbrella.

NDTV Explains | Siddaramaiah vs DKS Spat Not New. Remember 2023?

That left the party with no choice. Siddaramaiah was made chief minister and DKS had to settle for being his deputy and also retaining the Karnataka Congress chief post, a dual responsibility not normally allowed to anyone after Rahul Gandhi's 2022 'one man, one post' diktat.

But for Shivakumar that ambition never dimmed; in June his supporters tried to push Siddaramaiah out of the picture and created enough pressure the Congress was forced to send Randeep Surjewala to Bengaluru to broker peace, just as he did after the 2023 election.

DK Shivakumar has made no secret of his desire to become Chief Minister (File).

DKS' camp pushed again this month, this time pointing to a 'deal' that said Siddaramaiah would step down after serving half of the five-year term. That halfway mark came and passed last week with no action from Siddaramaiah, prompting DKS' remark this week about honouring promises.

Shivakumar's faction has, so far, been the aggressors; last week a group of them, including Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain, who told NDTV he was "200 per cent sure" DKS will win out, and emerge as the new chief minister, turned up in Delhi 24 hours before the aforementioned 'deadline'.

At the meeting in Siddaramaiah's home this afternoon, that aggression was noticed and the Chief Minister's loyalists expressed serious concern over DKS' political expediency.

NDTV Decodes | Siddaramaiah-DK Shivakumar Power Struggle, What Do They Want?

To counter this, it was decided to red flag Karnataka lawmakers' 'multiple issues' with DKS, including statements by his supporters on this leadership spat and his visit to a Bengaluru jail to meet two Congress MLAs, inlcuding Vinay Kulkarni, who was arrested over the 2016 murder of a BJP leader.

The prison visit was described as 'unnecessary and politically motivated'.

READ | Siddaramaiah's 'Plan' In Case Congress Wants To Promote DK Shivakumar

Meanwhile, sources also spoke to NDTV about Siddaramaiah's plans, especially if the Congress leans towards DKS. The Chief Minister's camp is on alert to descend on Delhi and put pressure on the party.

And if the party still insists on a new chief minister, they will be presented with a list of alternatives, something which underscores the deep rift between Siddaramaiah and DKS.

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