The Congress Tuesday indicated it was open to entering into alliances to retain power in Karnataka, days after putting in place a new team in the state where Assembly elections are due next year. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would remain the face of the party. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with newly-appointed general secretary K C Venugopal and AICC secretaries Manicka Tagore, Madhu Yashki Goud, P C Vishnunadh and Sake Sailajanath on Tuesday where his message was clear: change the style of functioning by spending maximum time in the state and do everything to retain power. “He was clear that operating out of Delhi would not yield any result. We should not be just visiting the state for a few days,” a senior leader said. Although top Congress leaders felt it was too early to talk about alliances, many believed that the victory in recent bypolls to two Assembly seats was an indicator that the BJP could be trounced if the anti-BJP votes do not split. The JD(S) did not put up candidates in the bypolls. Rahul told the new team it would have a free hand in taking strategic decisions, including forging alliances and the appointment of a new party chief. “Siddaramaiah would be the CM candidate. He is very clear on that,” a leader said. Rahul reportedly told the leaders that workers should not be neglected and office-bearers should not behave like rulers. The challenge before the party would be to forge unity among warring groups in Karnataka.
