3 Reasons Why Siddaramaiah Won, 3 Reasons Why DK Shivakumar Did Too

Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar worked extremely hard, invested enormous effort and resources and has a huge stake in the Congress victory, but he will have to bide his time.

While both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar were in the running for the Karnataka Chief Minister's post, it was clear from the start that Siddaramaiah had the edge. Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar worked extremely hard, invested enormous effort and resources and has a huge stake in the Congress victory, but he will have to bide his time.

It must be emphasised that the longevity of the agreement worked out will depend entirely on the 2024 Lok Sabha election results, both in Karnataka and nationally.

Here are some key reasons why the scales are firmly tilted in favour of the former Chief Minister, and also why it is a lucrative deal for DK Shivakumar

1. DK Shivakumar faces Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate cases relating to assets disproportionate to known sources of income. There is a strong possibility that the BJP would aggressively pursue these cases. The optics of a chief minister ambushed by such cases could be detrimental to the Congress ahead of the 2024 elections, especially as the party has won on a strong "40 percent sarkar" campaign that focused on corruption allegations against the outgoing BJP government.