Why Karnataka Election 2023 is a must-win for Mallikarjun Kharge
The Congress top brass, including Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar, have sent a clear message to the state leaders that ensuring the Congress victory was more important to Kharge as Karnataka is his home state.
FollowThe elections in Karnataka are an acid test for the Congress party and for its president, Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from the state. In the run-up to the election, Kharge has reportedly sent out a stern message to quell any power battles within the party. His message is clear: The party has to win the Karnataka election. At this moment, the party does not care about who becomes the chief minister.
The Congress top brass, including Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar, are believed to have relayed the same message to other state leaders that ensuring the Congress victory was more important to Kharge as Karnataka is his home state.
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The elections in Karnataka are important ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Besides Karnataka, assembly elections are due in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan this year. Kharge, who took over as the party president at a critical time when the Congress lost its opposition status in the Lok Sabha, wants to win Karnataka.
The Congress is hoping that Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, which has covered 530 kilometres in Karnataka, will give improve the prospects of the party in constituencies where BJP won in the last elections.
This victory in Karnataka holds way too much importance for Kharge. The election verdict will decide the future of the Congress party at the national level. Kharge and Co. are aiming to capitalise on the votes of the Dalits and the downtrodden. However, a defeat will bring to the fore several problems, including posing a major question mark on Kharge's leadership. Thus, Kharge has called upon the leaders and activists to use the anti-incumbency element and corruption allegations against the government without worrying about the chief ministership.
Earlier in the day, the Congress party released the star campaigners list of 40 leaders for the Karnataka assembly elections.
Major names in the list include Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar, Shashi Tharoor, Jagadish Shettar, Dr Parameshwar, Randeep Singh Surjewala, P Chidambaram, Ashok Gehlot, Satish Jarakiholi, DK Suresh, Veerappa Moily, Ramya and Umashree.
