Page 4 - The Indian EYE 052623

BIG STORY MAY 26, 2023 | The Indian Eye 4

NEW KARNATAKA GOVERNMENT

CHALLENGES

AHEAD

As they take charge of the important southern state, both Siddaramaiah and

Shivakumar have their task cut out. They need to deliver on their promises and keep
the Congress together in the run up to the 2024 general elections

OUR BUREAU
Bengaluru/New Delhi
arnataka Governor
Thaawarchand Gehlot on
KThursday invited Chief Min-
ister-designate Siddaramaiah to take
oath on Saturday. DK Shivakumar will
be the only Deputy Chief Minister.
A Congress delegation, includ-
ing Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar,
met Governor Thaawarchand Ge-
hlot at Raj Bhavan to stake claim to
form the government. Earlier, Sid-
daramaiah was elected unanimous-
ly as the Congress Legislative Party
(CLP) leader in Karnataka. Shivaku-
mar moved a resolution to elect Sid-
daramaiah as a new CLP leader. All
members endorsed it unanimously.
The CLP meeting was held at
the party office in Bengaluru after
Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar
returned from the national capital af-
ter days of deliberation for the chief
ministerial face.
After days of suspense and spec- Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar being felicitated by Congress observers Sushil Kumar Shinde and Bhanwar Jitendra Singh during the Con-
ulation, a seasoned political leader
with socialist leanings, Siddaramaiah gress State Legislative Party meeting on Thursday (ANI)
is set to be Karnataka Chief Minister
for a second term with the Congress former Chief Minister’s wide admin- ister from 2013 and it helped the daramanahundi village of Mysore
leadership deciding to entrust him istrative experience will come handy Congress campaign during the district in a farming family, Siddara-
with the task that entails quick deliv- in implementing manifesto promises assembly polls which had sev- maiah belongs to the Kuruba com-
ery on the promises to people includ- in view of their financial implication. eral people-oriented promises. munity. He faced struggle during his
ing “five guarantees”. Karnataka has complex caste During his long political career, initial years of education and later
A leader with strong grassroots equations and a history of voting Siddaramaiah has lost elections but pursued BSc and Bachelor of Law.
connect, Siddaramaiah has been as- out incumbent governments. Only has bounced back due to his strong Siddaramaiah became the fi-
sociated with the formulation of state three Chief Ministers before Sidda- determination and his quest for “so- nance minister in the cabinet of then
budgets for several years and has an ramaiah - S Nijalingappa (1962 and cial justice”. Karnataka Chief Minister HD Deve
eye for detail. The Congress lead- 1967, three terms including 1956); Siddaramaiah was expelled Gowda. Siddaramaiah recalled that
ership, which had to make a choice D Devaraj Urs (1972 and 1978) and from Janata Dal (Secular) following when he was preparing his first bud-
between him and state Congress RK Hegde (1983 and 1985) had two differences with its leadership and get as the finance minister, there
chief DK Shivakumar for the post of terms as Chief Minister. joined the Congress in the presence were jibes like ‘what does a shepherd
Chief Minister following an emphat- Siddaramaiah,74, launched of the then party chief Sonia Gandhi know about finance?’
ic win in the assembly polls earlier several welfare schemes during in 2006. “But I did not pay heed to such
this month, apparently felt that the his five-year tenure as Chief Min- Born on August 12, 1948 in Sid- Continued on next page... >>

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