Karnataka CM race: SWOC analysis of DKS and Siddaramaiah

News Network
May 15, 2023

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After the Congress's emphatic 135-seat win in the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls, the focus has now shifted to the all-important question, "who will be the Chief Minister."

And the race for the top post has heated up between old warhorses Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, with both leaders making no secret of their ambition to lead the southern state. The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has unanimously authorised All India Congress Committee (AICC) President M Mallikarjun Kharge to pick its leader, who will be the next chief minister of the state.

Here is a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges) analysis of the two aspiring CMs.

Siddaramaiah:

Strengths:
•    Mass appeal across the state
•    Popular among a large section of Congress legislators
•    Experience of having run a full-term government as Chief Minister (2013-18).
•    Able administrator with experience of having presented 13 budgets.
•    Clout among the AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits).
•    Strong ability to take on BJP and JD(S), most importantly PM Modi and his government on issues.
•    Considered close to Rahul Gandhi and apparently has his backing.

Weaknesses: 
•    Not so much organisationally connected with the party.
•    Failure in bringing the Congress government back to power in 2018 under his leadership.
•    Still considered an outsider by a section of Congress old guard. He was formerly with the JD(S).
•    Age factor- Sidddaramiah is 75.

Opportunities: 
*Acceptability, appeal and experience to take along every one to run a government with a decisive mandate, and strengthen Congress for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
* IT, ED and CBI cases against opponent Shivakumar, who is also eyeing the CM post.
*Last election and last chance to become CM.
 
Challenges:
•    Uniting of senior Congress old guards like Mallikarjun Kharge, G Parameshwara, who have missed becoming CM because of Siddaramaiah, also B K Hariprasad, K H Muniyappa among others against him.
•    Call for a Dalit CM. *Shivakumar's organisational strength, party's 'troubleshooter' tag, loyalty image across the country, and closeness to Gandhi family, especially Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

D K Shivakumar: 

Strengths:
•    Strong organisational capabilities and having led the party to victory in elections.
•    Known for party loyalty.
•    Considered Congress' ace troubleshooter during difficult times.
•    Resourceful leader.
•    Has the backing of the dominant Vokkaliga community, its influential seers and leaders.
•    Closeness to Gandhi family. * Age factor on his side.
•    Long political experience; has handled various portfolios.

Weaknesses:
•     Cases against him before IT, ED and CBI.
•    Jail term in Tihar
•    Lesser mass appeal and experience compared to Siddaramaiah. 
•    Clout by and large limited to the Old Mysuru region.
•    Not having much backing from other communities.

Opportunities: 
•    Congress' domination of the Old Mysuru region would go to Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga.
•    KPCC President, as the natural choice to be the CM, like in the case of SM Krishna and Veerendra Patil.
•    Chances of the party old guard backing him.

Challenges:
•    Siddaramaiah's experience, seniority and mass appeal.
•    Chances of large number of MLAs backing Siddaramaiah.
•    Legal hurdles because of cases filed by central agencies.
•    Call for a Dalit or Lingayat CM.
•    Rahul Gandhi's apparent backing of Siddaramaiah.

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News Network
May 2,2024

Bengaluru, May 2: Prajwal Revanna, grandson of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, was issued fresh summons on Thursday by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which is investigating the case of obscene videos involving the former JD(S) member, several news outlets reported.

The SIT also junked his appeal which sought seven days time to join the probe, as per these reports.

Prajwal and his father, H D Revanna, have sexual harassment and stalking cases filed against them over the matter. Gowda's son, H D Revanna, however, said that what took place '4-5 years ago' is now being turned into a legal case.

JD(S) in its core committee meeting suspended Prajwal from the party till the end of the probe. Prajwal, meanwhile, took to X to state he would join the probe in seven days time, asserting 'truth will prevail'.

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News Network
May 5,2024

Karwar, May 5: What commenced as a mere exchange of words between spouses swiftly transmuted into a calamitous ordeal, resulting in the heartbreaking loss of their innocent offspring. The heart-wrenching incident unfolded in the serene confines of Halamaddy village in the picturesque expanse of Dandeli, nestled within the idyllic expanse of Uttara Kannada district.

In the throes of a fervent dispute with her spouse, the aggrieved wife, succumbing to an overwhelming surge of emotions, callously propelled their tender six-year-old progeny into the somber depths of a nearby canal, thereafter alerting the local populace to her grievous act.

Promptly apprised of the distressing occurrence by concerned bystanders, the authorities were swiftly summoned to the scene to confront the harrowing aftermath.

Responding to the distress call, the diligent officers of Dandeli rural police swiftly converged upon the site where the innocent child had been cast into the unforgiving waters of the canal, subsequently effecting the retrieval of the child's lifeless form. 

Regrettably, it was discerned that a portion of the child's remains had been tragically claimed by the lurking jaws of a predatory crocodile.

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News Network
May 7,2024

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Israeli military aircraft have heavily bombed the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip accompanied with ground advances shortly after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said it had agreed to a proposal on ceasefire in Gaza.

A Palestinian journalist reported flares in the night sky, while locals said dozens of reconnaissance drones flew overhead.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa and Egyptian media said Israeli military vehicles advanced towards the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, as well as the Karem Shalom crossing with the Israeli-occupied territories.

A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian authority have told the Associated Press news agency that Israeli tanks have entered Rafah, reaching as close as 200 meters from Rafah’s border crossing with neighboring Egypt.

The Israeli military has said it was conducting “targeted strikes” against Hamas in eastern Rafah.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has also said "Israel is continuing the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas" in order to advance the release of captives and what it called "the other objectives of the war."

In the meantime, it described the proposal on ceasefire as "far from Israel's essential demands," but added that it would send negotiators for talks "to exhaust the potential for arriving at an agreement."

The military strikes on Rafah came ahead of talks in Egypt on Tuesday aimed at sealing a truce proposal accepted by Hamas, which was put forward by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. 

According to a copy of the proposal, there will be three phases to ending Israel’s onslaught against Gaza.

The first phase calls for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim corridor and the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes. The second phase involves an announcement of a permanent cessation of military operations. In the last phase, there would be a complete end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip. 

In return, Israel would be required to release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners, withdraw its troops from certain regions of the Gaza Strip, and allow Palestinians to travel from the south of the coastal sliver to the north.

About 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah, once designated a “safe zone” by the Israeli military. Palestinians are now struggling to evacuate the city, after the Israeli military dropped leaflets ordering them to leave as a large-scale assault on the city is planned.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said that a ground invasion of Rafah would be “intolerable” and called on Israel and Hamas “to go an extra mile” to reach a truce deal.

“This is an opportunity that cannot be missed, and a ground invasion in Rafah would be intolerable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences, and because of its destabilizing impact in the region,” Guterres told reporters on Monday ahead of a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in New York.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has also warned that Israel is “jeopardizing the deal by bombing Rafah.”

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