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Amid the power churning within the Karnataka Congress, state party chief D K Shivakumar recently gave a fresh churn. In contention with former Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah for the top job should the party win, Shivakumar said he would gladly work under Mallikarjun Kharge should he be picked by the high command.
More of a presence now in Delhi power circles, and the Congress national president since last year, Kharge has seen the promise of that post dangled before him earlier too, only to be snatched away.
This time though, Shivakumar’s offer was seen more as a signal to Siddaramaiah, with the Congress unlikely to go with Kharge, having anointed him the party chief after a process that it would not want to repeat so soon.
Kharge checks all the right boxes, though. A Dalit leader with over 52 years of political experience, the 80-year-old won his first Assembly seat back in 1972. He was a minister in all Congress governments in Karnataka since 1976 — Devaraj Urs government in 1976, the Gundu Rao Ministry in 1980, the S Bangarappa Cabinet in 1990 and the M Veerappa Moily government from 1992 to 1994. He was Leader of the Opposition in 1996-99 and 2008-09, and president of the state Congress from 2005-08, before he moved to national politics in 2009, when he entered the Lok Sabha for the first time.
During this time, Kharge’s name came up as a CM contender thrice — 1999, 2004 and 2013.
In 1999, the Congress had come to power with 132 seats in the 224-member House. As six-time MLA from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency, Kharge was among the seniormost legislators of the party. However, the unspoken convention of the Congress was that party presidents were the first choice for CM. And hence the mantle went to then PCC chief S M Krishna, who incidentally shared a close relationship with Kharge.
Claiming he was sidelined in the Congress, Krishna is now with the BJP.
In 2004, Kharge’s name again got floated as CM probable after the Congress failed to get a majority in the Assembly polls, winning just 65 seats. It formed a coalition government with the Janata Dal (Secular), which got 58 seats. Again, Kharge lost out to a close friend, N Dharam Singh J, who was picked up as the consensus choice by the Congress and JD(S). Future Congress CM Siddaramaiah, who was at this point a JD(S) leader, was appointed deputy CM.
In 2008, Kharge would have considered his chances the brightest, as he was the KPCC chief at the time. However, in that year’s Assembly polls, the Congress lost, winning 80 seats to the BJP’s 110.
In 2013, the Congress sailed back into the House with a comfortable majority of 122 seats. Again, Kharge’s name came up as a CM contender, along with PCC chief G Parameshwara, and Siddaramaiah (who was by then in the Congress). Parameshwara’s surprise loss from the Koratagere seat further narrowed down the race.
Answering questions on whether he was in the race for CM’s post, Kharge had told news agency PTI then: ”I don’t want the post because of my caste (Dalit). I am not interested because of long-standing service to the party. If they think that I am fit for the post, then it is up to them to take a decision. I will abide by any decision the high command takes.”
At the Congress Legislature Party meeting after the polls finally, Kharge was edged out by Siddaramaiah.
In his remarks seemingly endorsing Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar said, “Mallikarjun Kharge is my leader. He is my president. Kharge is 20 years my senior. We have to respect his seniority and sacrifices. In the event of him becoming CM of Karnataka, I am ready to work with him.”
