May 28, 2026 12:55 pm IST

Opinion | Karnataka Tussle: Is This Where Congress Finally Understands The Value Of 'Timing'?

For years, Rahul Gandhi's critics have accused him of being a moral commentator rather than a commander. Karnataka may be where this changes.

Rasheed Kidwai Rasheed Kidwai Columnist

Rasheed Kidwai Columnist

In Congress politics, timing is rarely accidental. What appears abrupt from the outside is often a decision taken late, after months of signals, denials, pauses, messages, and counter-messages. The emerging Karnataka leadership transition, with Siddaramaiah being eased out and DK Shivakumar waiting in the wings, belongs to that familiar Congress tradition. Yet, it also marks something new: Rahul Gandhi's willingness to act decisively where earlier he may have allowed drift to masquerade as consultation.

The story, however, is larger than one Chief Minister and one Deputy Chief Minister. It is about Rahul's new assertiveness after May 4, when the political map of the south offered the Congress both encouragement and instruction. In Kerala, the Congress-led front returned to power with a commanding verdict, with the Congress winning 63 seats and its alliance crossing the majority mark comfortably. In Tamil Nadu, Vijay's TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, and the Congress chose pragmatism over nostalgia by joining the new government with two ministerial berths after decades outside power in the state.

These developments matter because Rahul Gandhi is no longer looking at Karnataka merely through the lens of Bengaluru politics. He is looking at it as part of a southern board. Karnataka goes to the polls in 2028; the Lok Sabha election follows in 2029. The five southern states and Puducherry together hold the kind of Parliamentary weight that can decide whether the opposition remains a protest formation or becomes a serious contender for power. Karnataka is, therefore, not just a state government. It is a staging ground.

Sidda's Borrowed Time

Siddaramaiah's difficulty did not begin this week. It began the day the Congress won Karnataka handsomely in 2023. The party secured 135 seats in the 224-member Assembly, its........

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