Karnataka Congress a divided house

As political parties prepare to face the next Assembly elections in Karnataka, the local Congress unit is now a divided house with individual leaders vying for top positions.

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chauhan, who is in charge of Karnataka's affairs, has been finding it difficult to locate a successor to Mallikarjuna M Kharge, president of the state Congress unit.

There are numerous factions within the Congress seeking a greater role in the run-up to the next elections. While Kharge's followers are keen on his continuation as the state Congress president, factions headed by other Congress leaders like H K Patil, D K Shivakumar and those who migrated from the Janata Dal(S), want a change.

Several Congress leaders are opposing Kharge's continuation as the state Congress chief on the ground that the baton has to be passed on to an "enterprising" leader.

"Kharge has been the state Congress chief for the last one year. If the party is looking for an absolute majority in the next elections, an enterprising leader should be appointed to lead the party," a memorandum submitted to Chauhan by Kharge's rival faction said.

The faction led by Shivakumar also contended that Kharge did not have any clout in South Karnataka which was necessary to lead the party.

South Karnataka districts are dominated by the state's second largest community "" Vokkaliga "" which has been traditionally backing the JD(S). "With the JD(S) losing its base in the south, the Congress should take advantage of the situation by appointing a Vokkaliga to the state Congress president's post," the memorandum added.

According to sources, there is a strong demand from a section of the state Congress leaders to bring back former chief minister S M Krishna, now Maharashtra governor, into active politics.

"The national Congress leaders are aware of the situation. We need a visionary leader to bring the Congress back to power. Krishna performed that task eight years ago. It is time he is brought back into state politics," senior Congress leaders said.

However, supporters of H K Patil and Kharge are opposing Krishna's re-entry. Similarly, the JD(S) leaders who have migrated to the Congress, including former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah, want a greater role in the party. Siddaramaiah's followers feel that he has not been assigned any significant task.

"He has been a deputy chief minister holding the finance portfolio. Unfortunately, he has been appointed the publicity committee chairman of the party. He should be given a serious role," his supporters reportedly told Chauhan.