The Indian National Congress is working on deciding who will be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka after the party’s victory in the recent state elections, according to KC Venugopal, a senior Congress leader and top aide of Rahul Gandhi. Venugopal also said that the party was working on resolving the leadership issue in Rajasthan, where two contenders, Sachin Pilot, and Ashok Gehlot, have been ramping up attacks on each other in recent months. He added that the party would also be planning another nationwide campaign to build on the momentum ahead of next year’s national election.
Venugopal stated that the Congress was open to forming post-poll alliances with other regional parties, even if they had ideological differences or were rivals in some states. He clarified that while an alliance with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or the Bharat Rashtra Samithi might not be possible in certain states, post-poll alliances were not out of the question.
The Congress party’s victory in Karnataka, where it defeated the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by a comfortable margin, is being seen as a boost for the opposition alliance, which has been trying to forge a united front against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP ahead of the national elections next year.
Venugopal said that the Congress was planning another Bharat Jodo Yatra, a cross-country foot march, to build on the momentum ahead of next year’s national election. Rahul Gandhi led a similar march from north to south India last year.
Regarding the speculation about who would be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka, Venugopal said that it would take some time and that the decision would be made between DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, both of whom are Congressmen at heart. He dismissed any possibility of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge being considered for the post.
Venugopal emphasized that the Congress was committed to opposition unity and that the party was willing to work with other regional parties. He also said that the party would resolve any leadership issues in other states as well. “This is a message for opposition unity, and we have to work together at the national level,” he said in an interview with NDTV.
The Congress, which has been struggling to regain its foothold in Indian politics, has scored a major victory in Karnataka, a state that is crucial to its political fortunes. With the next national election looming, the party’s focus is on building momentum and consolidating its gains in the states.
