The architect of Karnataka victory is none other than Shivakumar who single-handedly led Congress to victory

The Karnataka electorate has delivered the State on a platter to the Indian National Congress. The fact that the people gave a befitting victory cutting down to size all communal, casteist and corrupt elements despite the “double-engine growth” slogan is a rebuff to the party that was in power for the last four years. The BJP Government in the State has degenerated the administration into the embodiment of corruption and the common man started describing it as a 40 per cent Government. Karnataka has never seen corruption of this magnitude anytime in its history since the days of Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali.

The credit for carving out this win should go to D K Shivakumar, who led the party’s campaign across the State in spite of the central agencies troubling him on a host of issues. He assured the Congress High Command that he would deliver victory and he presented them with a garden blooming with roses instead of a rose flower. Shivakumar masterminded the campaign pulverizing the efforts of extra-constitutional authorities like B L Santhosh of the BJP who had dreamt of reaching the Vidhana Soudha through the back door and playing the communal cards. The master stroke which floored the Deve Gowda family would remain etched in the memory of people’s minds as the Dhritharashtra of Karnataka politics had hoped to anoint his son H DH Kumaraswamy as chief minister in the hope of a hung assembly.

Though the result of the assembly election was declared by Saturday noon, the Congress High Command is yet to choose the chief minister candidate from the 135 members of the legislative assembly. There was no confusion in the party at any stage of the election process about who would be the chief minister candidate. It was Shivakumar all the way. You ask anybody in the street who their preferred leader was and Pat came the reply “DKS”. Except for a cameo appearance by the trio of the Gandhi family, it was Shivakumar who masterminded the campaign undertaking a physically challenging journey through the scorching summer sun.

The chief minister of Karnataka should be elected not in New Delhi but in Bengaluru. The voters wanted a change and they should get a refreshing and reassuring face as their leader. Siddaramaiah had his time and proved that he is a spent force during the last term itself. Shivakumar was the one who held together the MLAs from further poaching by the BJP. While the Brahmin Mafia led by Santhosh and Prahlad Joshy went to the extent of communalising the hearts, Shivakumar and the Congress reached out to the voters with an impressive mandate and hitherto unasked questions.

It was a David versus Goliath show and the voters in the State would not take it lying down if the winner was picked up by persons who never campaigned or contested this election. It was Shivakumar’s show, a leader in the mould of vintage Congress leaders like Nijalingappa, Devaraj Urs and Hanumanthaiah. Their tenures are known as the Golden Days of the Congress. The Karnataka victory is a reminder to Congress that they would remain with the party if the leadership plays the game in the spirit of the game. The architect of Karnataka's victory is none other than Shivakumar whose masterly strokes brought to mind that wonderful man Gundappa Ranganath Viswanath who perfected India’s victories in many Test matches with his beautiful footwork and stylish square cuts.

(The writer is a senior journalist working as a Special Correspondent with The Pioneer. The views expressed are personal)