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Top Congress Karnataka Politicians in Poster War After Big Win in Assembly Polls

© AP Photo / Aijaz RahiCongress party Karnataka state chief D. K. Shivakumar, left, and his colleague and senior leader Siddaramaiah, right.
Congress party Karnataka state chief D. K. Shivakumar, left, and his colleague and senior leader Siddaramaiah, right. - Sputnik India, 1920, 14.05.2023
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Congress Party on Saturday put paid to the federally ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's hopes that it would return to power in Karnataka, the only state it ruled in Southern India.
The two top Congress politicians in Karnataka - party state boss Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar and former state chief Siddaramaiah - were locked in a poster war on Sunday after the party swept to an emphatic victory over the incumbent BJP in the state elections on Saturday.
Shivakumar is the current Congress party chief in Karnataka and Siddaramaiah was leader of the opposition (LoP) in the outgoing state legislature. Moreover, Siddaramaiah served as state chief from 2013 to 2018 when Congress ruled Karnataka on its own.
Hours after Congress brought an end to the BJP's rule in Karnataka with a massive mandate, winning 135 of the state's 224 seats, posters demanding the appointment of Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah as state chiefs were plastered across Bengaluru, the state capital.
A large picture of Siddaramaiah with "the next CM of Karnataka" written over it was seen adorning the walls outside his home in Bengaluru.
Rahul Gandhi  - Sputnik India, 1920, 13.05.2023
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The development is significant given that Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah have been eyeing the state chief's post since Congress' record triumph.
In the Karnataka assembly election results declared the previous day, Congress reduced the BJP to only 66 seats in its only citadel in southern India where all other states are ruled by parties opposed to the federally ruling party.
This is by far the biggest win by a political party in Karnataka assembly elections since 1989 when Congress registered a win with a whopping 178 seats in the state.
Though Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah belong to the same political party, their rivalry in state circles is well documented. Whereas the former has earned immense respect and fame in Congress for being one of its main trouble-shooters, the latter is widely regarded as a mass leader who holds considerable sway over his Kuruba community.
Kurubas form around 8 to 9 percent of Karnataka's total 65 million population, and their votes are crucial for a party's win in several assembly constituencies.
Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah have been quite vocal about their desire to occupy the state's top chair, raising fears of a prolonged and ugly stand-off between them.
The Congress party has had a poor record of handling differences between party politicians in recent times.
India's main opposition party has been witnessing a similar stand-off between Rajasthan state chief Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot, with the two being at loggerheads for years.
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