BENGALURU: Silence appears louder than statements in Congress these days. Congress Working Committee member and former CM Siddaramaiah’s string of absences from crucial party functions, paired with a cabinet list that sidelined many of his loyalists, is fueling talk that something is shifting beneath the surface of the party’s power equation.Siddaramaiah skipped Tuesday’s Congress Legislature Party meeting chaired by CM DK Shivakumar, just as he had skipped the Aug 3 swearing-in of 19 new ministers. He was missing on the opening day of the monsoon session too, turning up only the next day. Taken together, the pattern reads less like coincidence and more like a message. Whether it is quiet protest or a calculated recalibration, Congress watchers agree on one thing: This is not business as usual.The timing is conspicuous. Siddaramaiah’s absences began after he announced he will not contest the 2028 elections and cited money’s growing influence in polls — perceived as a direct attack on his rivals in the party. It is also around this time his preferred pick, Basavaraj son was picked in the first round while several seniors who served the party for decades were left waiting.“NOT SO POPULAR NOW?” Many have flayed former chief minister Siddaramaiah for ensuring a cabinet berth for his son Yathindra, while leaving senior aides waiting. They point out that he built his career attacking dynasty politics but followed the same path.Shivannavar, a fellow Kuruba lost out on a cabinet berth.Losing groundShivakumar has been careful to avoid any rift perception, frequently consulting Siddaramaiah on key decisions and hailing his son Yathindra as “hero” after he was inducted into the legislative council. Yet it is that very move, elevating the son while several old guards were left out, that has raised eyebrows within the party.Cabinet expansion exposed how much ground the Siddaramaiah camp lost. Seniors closely associated with Siddaramaiah, including HC Mahadevappa, KN Rajanna, HK Patil, Ashok Pattham, RB Timmapur, Tanveer Sait, Shivannand Patil and K Venkatesh, were all left out while Yathindra found a place.A senior functionary put it bluntly, “Siddaramaiah built his career attacking dynasty politics, but when it came to his own family, he appears to have followed the same path. His son was picked in the first round while several seniors who served the party for decades were left waiting.”Curious case of ZameerOther signs point the same way. BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, once a staunch backer, made it to the cabinet despite falling out with Siddaramaiah over alleged anti-party activity during the Davanagere bypoll. Satish Jarkiholi stayed out of the camp altogether, forming equations with Shivakumar and holding on to the PWD portfolio.Then, there is the unresolved issue of MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda, a Kuruba whose name featured in the original list before being dropped. Unverified claims suggest her exclusion was meant to protect Yathindra’s spot. Yathindra himself has defended his father while insisting his own entry was strictly under the Kuruba quota.Political analyst Ravindra Reshme summed up the undercurrent, “Siddaramaiah was seen as a senior statesman who accepted the high command’s decision to give up the CM’s post. But by strongly backing his son over some hardcore supporters, he has weakened his own Ahinda support base and influence.”The perception of “images being dented is a byproduct of rumours on how and why legislators were picked or left out. But the challenge is much deeper. Many legislators believe they are eminently qualified to be ministers. However, demand hopelessly outstrips availability, so the situation often appears out of control. Functionaries then become easy targets for speculation. Clearly the party’s national and state president and former and current CMs were part of the process. In the context of leadership change, the former CM is seen to have played a crucial role.” says Sandeep Shashtri, political analyst.
