SIDDARAMAIAH: THE CONG BULWARK
The New Indian Express Mangaluru|December 31, 2024
FROM taking the fight against the Centre's alleged 'step-motherly' treatment of Karnataka to the national capital, to giving Congress a 'Karnataka model' to bolster its fight against BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Siddaramaiah has been at the centre of power, influence and controversies.
RAMU PATIL

ROM taking the fight against the Centre's alleged 'step-motherly' treatment of Karnataka to the national capital, to giving Congress a 'Karnataka model' to bolster its fight against BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Siddaramaiah has been at the centre of power, influence and controversies. Being the Chief Minister, he draws attention by default. Yet, it has been a most eventful year for the 77-year-old leader. He was full of action for good or not-so-good reasons.

In the second year of his second stint as chief minister, he faced the toughest challenges in his over four-decade political career. Yet, he is growing strong. Siddaramaiah was almost projected as the poster boy of the party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls when Congress saw a glimmer of hope of a comeback at the Centre. Congress's central leaders harped on the Karnataka model of governance and its guarantee schemes.

Siddaramaiah remains its mainstay in Karnataka and has emerged as one of its most formidable regional satraps. He is among the handful of mass leaders with a pan-Karnataka appeal, and he has positioned himself as an indispensable leader for his party and the government.

He remained a strong critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and never let go of any opportunity to hit out at them. Though AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge hails from the state and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is a formidable number two in the government, Siddaramaiah has held his own. At times, it even looked as though his brand of politics was overriding that of the party. Such an approach landed the party in a tight spot in some instances, including issues relating to Waqf land and the Panchamasali Lingayat reservation.

This story is from the December 31, 2024 edition of The New Indian Express Mangaluru.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 31, 2024 edition of The New Indian Express Mangaluru.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS MANGALURUView All
The New Indian Express Mangaluru

Storm Before The Biggest Test

Despite dressing room 'chaos', India would hope to salvage pride in Sydney and keep hopes of qualifying for WTC final alive

time-read
4 mins  |
January 03, 2025
The New Indian Express Mangaluru

Salima dedicates Arjuna to teammates

FOR her contribution to Indian hockey, women's team captain Salima Tete was named amongst the Arjuna Awardees in the National Sports Awards 2024 list announced on Thursday.

time-read
1 min  |
January 03, 2025
The New Indian Express Mangaluru

Hope my goals help Arsenal win title

GABRIEL Jesus is determined to keep scoring as Arsenal look to end their more than 20-year wait for a Premier League title.

time-read
1 min  |
January 03, 2025
The New Indian Express Mangaluru

Bagan Start Year With Win Over Hyderabad FC

MOHUN Bagan Super Giant started the New Year with a 3-0 victory over Hyderabad FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season.

time-read
1 min  |
January 03, 2025
The New Indian Express Mangaluru

HIL: UP Rudras blank Soorma Hockey Club

UP Rudras blanked Soorma Hockey Club 3-0 in their Hero Hockey India League contest here on Thursday.

time-read
1 min  |
January 03, 2025
The New Indian Express Mangaluru

With $20.5 bn from IPOs, Dalal Street 2nd busiest mkt

DALAL Street has been the second busiest market in the world, with a mop-up of $20.5 billion from the initial public offerings (IPOs).

time-read
1 min  |
January 03, 2025
The New Indian Express Mangaluru

Blinkit 10-min ambulance service in Gurugram

ZOMATO's quick commerce platform Blinkit on Thursday launched its 10 minutes Ambulance Service in select areas of Gurugram. In the testing phase, currently, Blinkit will scale the service and expand to other cities.

time-read
1 min  |
January 03, 2025
The New Indian Express Mangaluru

Hyundai Unveils Creta Electric With Two Battery Choices, 473 Km Range

HYUNDAI Motor India's (HMIL) first locally manufactured mass electric vehicle (EV) - the Creta Electric - will come with two battery packs - a 51.4 kWh (Long Range) offering a driving range of 473 km and a 42 kWh offering a driving range of 390 km in a single charge.

time-read
1 min  |
January 03, 2025
The New Indian Express Mangaluru

Sebi rejects Zee, Punit Goenka's settlement offers

MARKET regulator Sebi on Thursday rejected the settlement offers filed by Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) and its chief executive Punit Goenka for alleged violation of listing norms.

time-read
1 min  |
January 03, 2025
The New Indian Express Mangaluru

IT Companies May Report Surge in Q3 Revenue Growth

Though there will be seasonal furloughs, IT services firms are likely to perform better and will report improvement in growth momentum in the third quarter of this financial year.

time-read
1 min  |
January 03, 2025