Bengaluru: With CM D K Shivakumar already readying the Congress machinery for the 2028 assembly polls, the BJP-JD(S) alliance is yet to answer a basic question: who will take him on? Increasingly, the answer appears to be H D Kumaraswamy, though the BJP has not committed to projecting him as the NDA’s CM candidate.Shivakumar has moved well beyond running the govt. He has directed Congress MLAs to strengthen the party at the grassroots and linked their organisational performance to 2028 tickets. His administrative outreach to regions outside Congress strongholds is also being seen as part of a long-term electoral plan.The BJP, the larger NDA partner with a substantial organisational network, still lacks one universally recognised face who can challenge him across the state. B Y Vijayendra, V Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje, Aravind Bellad and other senior functionaries remain key players, but none enjoys the clarity Shivakumar has as CM.Kumaraswamy has stepped into that gap. He has attacked Shivakumar over the Bidadi township project and the Bengaluru Mysuru infrastructure corridor, so sharply that ministers have begun countering him. His son is undertaking a swabhimani yatra from Kanakapura, the CM’s constituency, in Bengaluru South district, the former Ramanagara, where both wield equal political clout.The NICE-BMIC row has sharpened the fight. Kumaraswamy has accused Shivakumar of benefiting personally and through family interests from changes linked to the project. Shivakumar has dismissed the charge as baseless and challenged him to substantiate it. THis is expected to go on for a while alongside the BIdadi township row, which is likely to emerge as key election issues.Supporters see an obvious advantage in Kumaraswamy: a former CM, Union minister and prominent Vokkaliga face with a long-standing base in Old Mysuru, who is willing to engage the CM head on.But BJP functionaries have made it clear they expect the party to lead the Opposition combine. Handing the CM projection to a JD(S) face could raise questions within the BJP about its own claim to lead the next govt. Geography is another hurdle. Kumaraswamy’s base remains Old Mysuru, while the BJP needs a campaign capable of reaching coastal Karnataka, Mumbai Karnataka, Kalyana Karnataka, Bengaluru and central Karnataka.Congress, meanwhile, is gaining from the Opposition’s lack of a settled formula. Satish Jarkiholi, who had earlier hinted at CM aspirations after 2028, has now backed Shivakumar to lead the party into the polls, saying he can wait as he has age on his side. Siddaramaiah remains a major force, but Shivakumar holds the edge of incumbency and control over the state-level party machinery.Political analyst Vishwas Shetty said the contest would not be settled by who is declared the candidate today. He added that Kumaraswamy had already begun positioning himself through sustained attacks on the Congress govt, while Shivakumar was preparing his party for the polls.Political Stratergist M B Maramkal said the choice went beyond personalities. He said the BJP would soon decide who hold lead the party ahead of 2028 assembly polls and it will decide whether it was willing to let its principal ally lead the battle for Karnataka, and accept the political consequences. “Otherwise, its own choice would have to match Shivakumar’s organisational reach and visibility,’’ he added.Eom
