The party made a point of it late Tuesday night, circulating the clip to get some mileage out of governance issues like infrastructure and farm support. With the oath coming up, the opposition is sharpening its attacks to make sure the public sees what they want them to see.
It’s well-timed. With all eyes on the handover, the BJP is trying to tie Shivakumar to its wider case against the Congress and put their spin on things before the new cabinet is in place.
BJP ratchets up the online war of words
You can see it in the video from the state unit: Shivakumar in an SUV making his way through some water-logged streets. The message is clear – where is the civic planning? The post was accompanied by a string of others pointing to what they call the government’s shortcomings.
They also put out a brief note in Kannada to mark the occasion of the swearing-in, a way of keeping the heat on even as the formalities are being put in order.
What the opposition is making of it
The BJP has zeroed in on a few sore spots with the monsoon here. In a number of posts, they’ve been at the government for not living up to what they promised during the election, calling it a pattern of not getting things done.
This is the gist of what the BJP is putting forward:
– Some unbecoming lapses in civic duty, for which they have the footage of the flooded roads to prove it.
– Not having the right kind of seeds and fertilisers ready for the farmers in time for the rains.
– And when crops are lost to the rain, there’s no compensation to be had, they say.
– A disregard for Dalit welfare and the infrastructure that comes with it, which they label as anti-Dalit.
In no uncertain terms, the party has said the state has shown farmers nothing but contempt. Their line is that there won’t be any respite for those who live off the land until the government changes. They also have a word for the Congress: you come for our votes and then you don’t care about us.
The swearing-in and what follows
On Wednesday, 64-year-old Shivakumar will be inducted as chief minister. The Governor, Thaawarchand Gehlot, will be on hand at the Glass House in Lok Bhavan to give him the oath of office and secrecy, sometime around 4 pm.
He won’t be alone; a handful of ministers are in line to be sworn in with him. How they are assigned their portfolios will be the first hint of where the new administration is headed on the very issues the opposition is hot on right now.
How we got here
Shivakumar only became the face of the Congress Legislature Party last week, once Siddaramaiah was asked to step aside by the high command. There has been a lot of talk behind the scenes for months on this one.
Some say it was always the plan for the top job to be shared after the 2023 win, with a rotation halfway through. You won’t hear Siddaramaiah or the centre put it in so many words, but if you talk to people on either side, they’ll tell you the succession has been a topic ever since the two years were up.
We’ll be watching to see if the new chief minister can put these claims to rest. His first moves on everything from city drainage to seed procurement and what he does for Dalit areas will be the real test and define the mood in Karnataka for a while.
