Karnataka: Saffron BJP will have to change strategy due to Congress’s new decision.
NEW DELHI : The top leadership of the Congress party has quite easily selected its Chief Ministerial face for Karnataka. Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar (DK Shivakumar) has been appointed as the Chief Minister; he is scheduled to be administered the oath of office and secrecy by the Governor at 4:00 PM on June 4, 2026, at the Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The Congress party’s new decision will undoubtedly compel the NDA and the BJP to alter their strategies. Due to the day-to-day changes unfolding within the Congress party, it appears that the BJP was forced to postpone the announcement of its new state party president. On Thursday, the BJP announced new presidents for Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Tripura, but Karnataka was notably absent from the list.
An internal BJP source stated that DK Shivakumar has not yet proven himself to be a capable administrator. However, if he succeeds in doing so over the next few years, the situation could become challenging for the BJP. The source remarked, “Among the state’s voters, he (DK) is not currently perceived as a capable administrator capable of delivering good governance.”
“DK currently carries the image in Karnataka of someone who operates on the strength of money and power; he simply needs to set his governance right. Once he does that, nothing else can stop him. If he delivers good governance, the NDA will have to move beyond merely relying on the anti-incumbency factor.” Since taking over from Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar has, thus far, exercised restraint in his decision-making. The Congress party had established a rotational formula wherein the Chief Ministership would be shared for two-and-a-half years each. Notably, even six months after the initial two-and-a-half-year term had elapsed, Shivakumar refrained from making any statements critical of the party. Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah, too, smoothly handed over the reins of power.
DK Shivakumar has projected the image that he is assuming the office of Chief Minister with the blessings of Siddaramaiah. Following the announcement of Siddaramaiah’s resignation on Thursday, photographs surfaced showing Shivakumar touching his feet in reverence. With the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, Chief Minister-designate Shivakumar will undoubtedly seek to ensure that his powerful Vokkaliga community—which constitutes approximately 10% of the population—stands firmly behind the Congress party ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. BJP leaders have noted that Shivakumar is a successful businessman based in Bengaluru who maintains strong ties with numerous BJP leaders in the region, including several sitting MLAs.
A BJP MP remarked, “It remains to be seen how the party’s top leadership will deal with Shivakumar, given that many of these leaders share a long-standing rapport with him. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had initiated an investigation against Shivakumar on charges of money laundering. The party has already formulated a strategy to frame its campaign around the narrative that the incumbent administration is a ‘corrupt government.’ We will have to wait and see how this unfolds.”
The BJP relies heavily on the Lingayat vote bank, which accounts for roughly 11.1% of the population. Retaining this support base poses a significant challenge, as while the party boasts several Lingayat leaders, none possess the stature and influence of former Chief Minister Yediyurappa. Meanwhile, his son and the current State BJP President, B.Y. Vijayendra, is still awaiting his formal appointment to the post. Another prominent Lingayat leader, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, has been expelled from the party for six years on charges of anti-party activities. Former Union Minister and ex-State Party Chief Ananth Kumar—a prominent Brahmin leader—passed away in 2018. Consequently, following Yediyurappa, the BJP has lacked a popular leader capable of commanding mass appeal across the state. Several party leaders suggest that the presence of a Vokkaliga leader at the helm of the Congress party has bolstered Vijayendra’s prospects of leading the BJP in Karnataka, as the party seeks to consolidate its support base among the Lingayat community.
However, appointing a Lingayat leader as the State Party Chief would also necessitate the party managing Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje—an outspoken and popular Vokkaliga leader in her own right. Shobha Karandlaje is known for her fearlessness and is not considered a leader of the ‘Yediyurappa camp.’ However, she is widely held responsible for the BJP’s defeat in the 2023 Assembly elections. She served as the convener of the Election Management Committee, yet her political clout ensures that she cannot be easily sidelined.
Following her shift from the Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha constituency to Bangalore North—an area far more crowded with political heavyweights than her previous rural stronghold—Karandlaje will have to constantly contend to maintain her standing amidst other Vokkaliga leaders, such as former Deputy CM C.N. Ashwath Narayan and four-time MLA S.R. Vishwanath. Another challenge for the BJP lies in North Karnataka, the home turf of the party’s long-standing strongmen, the Bellary brothers. Conversely, the Congress party has traditionally held a strong foothold in the Hyderabad-Karnataka belt. If the party were to appoint a young leader to a prominent position within the state unit, it would inevitably lead to friction with veteran leaders—figures who, while perhaps waning in influence, remain potent forces.
D.K. Shivakumar’s elevation to the post of Chief Minister has also dealt a blow to the aspirations of Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy. Although Kumaraswamy enjoys cordial relations with the BJP’s national leadership, he faces significant opposition from within the state BJP unit. He had harbored hopes of once again assuming the office of Chief Minister.
