NEW DELHI: “Good time will come,” DK Shivakumar had quipped last week when asked about the buzz around his promotion. Now, with the great Karnataka transition almost settled, looks like his time has finally come. The Congress high command, according to the sources, has green-flagged Deputy Chief Minister’s move to the top. The only question left hanging is when?
Marathon meetings on Tuesday in Delhi ended with the Congress brass convincing Siddaramaiah to quit as chief minister and let DK Shivakumar take over,sources said. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal misled the press by denying any transition, but activities in Bengaluru say otherwise as Siddharamaian has hosted a breakfast to the cabinet and sought appointment with the Governor, presumably to submit resignation.
According to the leaders in the know, in hope of a cordial transition, Congress high command has offered Siddaramaiah a Rajya Sabha seat, larger say in party’s Delhi affairs and fair share to his supporters in the government under DK Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah has heard the offer and has asked for some time to ponder over.
So, the question is how soon will DK Shivakumar get to take oath as the next chief minister?
Sources have pointed out two scenarios: One, Siddaramaiah quits as soon as Thursday or Friday, and the swearing in ceremony of the new chief minister takes place as soon as this weekend. This, according to sources, is a more likely scenario as the transition plan has been agreed on and the party expects Siddaramaiah to quit soon.
But nothing in politics is done till it’s done.
In a scenario where Siddaramaiah decides to delay his exit, sources say the swearing in ceremony is likely to be pushed till after the Rajya Sabha polls i.e. June 18.
Three seats to the Upper House are up for grabs in the state, and Congress has offered one to Siddaramaiah.The second is likely to go to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who is a sitting MP from the state; and third to DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh, according to the sources.
So, if the transition doesn’t happen in the next few days, the Congress would prefer it to shift it to post Rajya Sabha election as the leadership wants to avoid any internal political bickering in the run-up to the critical election to Upper House.
While there is jubilation in the DK Shivakumar camp, Siddaramaiah is still keeping his cards close to his chest. After arriving in Bengaluru on Wednesday, the chief minister refused to comment on the Delhi meetings and reported change of guard. “I will speak tomorrow,” was his only response to the reporters’ questions.
The Siddaramaiah camp, according to sources, is angling for a provision of multiple deputy chief ministers under DK Shivakumar to secure a sort of balance of power. They also want a Siddaramaiah man to be the new Karnataka Congress president, a post currently held by DK Shivakumar.
Sources in the DK Shivakumar camp have told NDTV that the soon-to-be chief minister may agree to one deputy chief minister, but not multiple. Hectic negotiations and bargaining are believed to be going on behind the scenes before Shivakumar’s long-anticipated coronation.
DK Shivakumar is slated to meet Siddaramaiah for breakfast on Thursday morning. Along with idli, sambhar and vada, will the chief minister also serve a sweetener to Shivakumar or another tadka of delay?
Umakant Lakhera is a Senior Journalist and Political Commentator
