These days, discussions like “changing the power centre” are being discussed in social and media regarding the politics of Karnataka, but the reality is that the Congress government of the state is working on a clear collective leadership model. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was handling the responsibility of administrative decisions till now, now Chief Minister DK Shivakumar He is leading the governance, administration, organization and political management, while Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is giving direction to the party at the national level. In this framework, the discussion about Mallikarjuna’s son Priyank Kharge is at its peak.
Everyone is stunned after Priyank got the responsibility of Home Minister of the state. This has increased Priyank’s political stature. That is, the political change itself is telling that the old power block has been replaced by the new power block in Karnataka.
Is the power center really changing?
Shivakumar has now come to the center of power in Karnataka. Ever since Shivkumar became the CM, he has been deciding the policy and administrative direction of the government. That means at this time DK Shivkumar is handling the government along with political management and organization. Now both the responsibilities are with DK. After stepping down from the post of CM, Siddaramaiah is busy in keeping his faction strong. So that his hold on Karnataka politics remains intact.
Is promoting Priyank part of any strategy?
The discussions that are taking place regarding Priyank Kharge are basically a part of Congress’s “youth leadership expansion” policy. The distribution of departments in the cabinet is done with the consent of the state cabinet and the high command, in which regional and social balance is observed. But this is being seen as a new political equation in the politics of the state.
Did Mallikarjun Kharge’s influence increase?
Mallikarjun Kharge’s influence is limited to the national organization and is strategic. They focus on stability and organizational strength in the states. But the day-to-day administrative decisions of the state government are not directly under his control. Despite this, after Priyank got the responsibility of Home Ministry, it is believed that now the influence of Karnataka Congress and Shivkumar and Mallikarjun of the government there has increased. At present, Siddaramaiah has become weak.
Actually, Priyank Kharge has benefited from the political change in Karnataka. Mallikarjun Kharge’s role could be behind this. Despite this, it cannot be considered as “infighting” in Karnataka politics. This government is working on a balanced model, whatever changes have taken place have taken place as per the formula.
What is the political context?
The politics of balance within the Karnataka Congress is revolving around the Lingayat, Dalit, OBC and youth leadership. The discussion of Siddaramaiah-DK Shivakumar power sharing is in the headlines for this reason. The growing influence of the Kharge family (Priyank’s role after Mallikarjun Kharge) is also the reason behind it gaining momentum in the media.
What “game” is going on?
If this is being called a “game” in political analysis, it means preparing a leader for the future by giving him an important portfolio and setting a new loyalty and control structure within the party. At present, there is no clear “power shift” in Karnataka politics, rather it is a balance based governance model. Siddaramaiah is handling the administration,
DK Shivkumar is strengthening the organization and Kharge is giving national direction to the party. In such a situation, discussions like “infighting” or “big game” seem mostly to be a part of political interpretation and media narrative, and not a sign of any concrete change.
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