AA Edit | DKS Must Energise Govt To Ensure Cong Is Re-elected

The appointment of D.K. Shivakumar as chief minister of Karnataka marks a smooth transition of power from one Congress leader to the next preceded as it was by three years of wrangling. The Congress high command can heave a sigh of relief as two tall leaders, Mr Shivakumar and Mr Siddaramaiah, have pledged to work together, unlike in several other states where such an exercise left the organisation badly bruised upon its culmination.

Mr Shivakumar has only two more years in power before he has to take the party to the next Assembly election. He cannot see his Cabinet a continuation of the old one; instead, he will have to start as a fresh entity if his government is to confidently face the electorate at the end of its tenure. The Congress came to power in Karnataka defeating the BJP on the strength of two factors: an unwavering commitment to secular principles and the promise of five welfare measures that will address the basic needs of the large section of the population.

The Siddaramaiah government indeed fulfilled its promises. The BJP government that preceded it, led by Basavaraj Bommai, put the entire focus on appeasing the Hindutva forces in the state leading to the harassment of the minority communities. The Congress, on the other hand, stuck to its classical position on secularism, instead of repurposing it as it did in a few other states. For which both Mr Siddaramaiah and Mr Shivakumar can justifiably take credit. A bold gamble, it paid off, too, with the people voting for an inclusive government. And the government, by and large, has stood by its vision. No mean achievement, given the current churn in the politics of the country.

The government also did well in extending the promised welfare, including providing free rice to poor and free bus travel for women, but this has taken a toll on the financial health of the state. The burden of meeting the cost of the five guarantees which runs into more than Rs 50,000 crores a year coupled with the attitude of an unhelpful Union government has presented Mr Shivakumar a tough task in fiscal management for the remainder of the Congress term. The steep reduction in the share of the state from the divisible pool of Central taxes for the 2021-2026 period as per the award of the 15th Finance Commission — 4.713 per cent under the 14th FC to 3.646 per cent — also impacted the state finances. The state has, however, got a breather as the 16th FC has restored a part of the loss by raising this to 4.13. The difference should come handy for the new government.

On the political front, the Congress has survived the factionalism that could have proved to be its undoing while the BJP is yet to steady itself after passing through a transition phase. The NDA in the state, however, is in a stronger shape as the JD(S) has nicely fitted itself into the alliance, a factor that augurs well for it in the Assembly elections. So now it could be an evenly matched contest with the advantage lying with the Congress.

Be that as it may, a lot depends on Mr Shivakumar and his government if they want to return to power after two years. A week is a long enough time in politics and two years still longer.