A day after the Congress leadership put an end to days of uncertainty by choosing party leader Siddaramaiah for the Karnataka chief minister’s post and DK Shivakumar as the deputy CM, editorials in prominent English dailies hailed the party’s success but pointed out the need to keep factions in check. 

The Indian Express, in an editorial headlined “A job in Bengaluru”, noted that “the challenge of balancing the ambitions and aspirations within, in a state where the Congress is still a lively political presence and robust organisationally, will call for wisdom and skill”.

“Bigger challenges await the new Siddaramaiah government. The veteran will need the formidable political capital he has already earned – as a pan-state leader and as an administrator who is also an ardent proponent of governance that is sensitive to minority concerns and the imperative of backward caste empowerment – to address them. The rout of the unremarkable Basavaraj Bommai government has not just handed the Congress a famous victory, it has also pointed to the uphill road ahead. The “40 per cent sarkar” label that contributed to bringing it down points not just to the BJP’s dropping of the ball on corruption, but also to structural and systemic distortions, and a narrowing vision of the public good across governments and parties. The state which boasts of Bangalore as the hub of technological innovation and entrepreneurial energy needs a government that can take the next steps and set the bar higher both for the city and the state. Karnataka has waited much too long already for a “Karnataka model” of governance.”

The Times of India, in its editorial titled “Two-Act Nataka”, pointed to the 2024 elections. Emphasising that it’s “more crucial” for the Congress that “Siddaramaiah comes good” in the early months as the chief minister, the editorial said, “For all analyses de-linking state wins from Lok Sabha outcomes, the reality is Siddaramaiah government’s performance in Karnataka will be among the key factors determining the party’s national profile – because this is Congress’s first government in years in a big state, and general elections are just a year away.”

Wherever the party has tried a “compromise between two state heavyweights, crises have followed”, it cautioned, adding that how the two factions in Karnataka working together “can impact party workers in fractious units in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and MP”.

The Hindustan Times, meanwhile, said the Congress must “learn from its experience in 2018 and control dissent in its ranks after successfully resolving a logjam between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar”.

“One assembly election can only provide limited cues about national polls. Yet, the victory in Karnataka was key for the Opposition because it represented a triumph in a big, resource-rich state. It also sketched the contours of a possibly successful strategy for the Opposition – a mix of welfare, grassroots leadership and local issues. The Congress has done well to resolve the leadership tussle , although the jury is still out on whether it has merely kicked the can down the road. It will need to ensure that rival ambitions don’t work at cross purposes, and the administration delivers.”

The Hindu, in its editorial headlined “Two to tango”, said the power tussle between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar had “somewhat dulled” the Congress’s massive victory in Karnataka but the “Karnataka campaign as well as the process of selecting a new leadership showed the remarkable capacity and maturity of Mr. Kharge, Mr. Shivakumar and Mr. Siddaramaiah”. 

“Mr. Kharge, through his affable style and earthy appeal, has emerged as a national leader. He gave a major fillip to the party in Karnataka, and will potentially do so in other parts of the country as well. One point that all three of them shared though the campaign was a steadfast defence of communal harmony and Hindu-Muslim relations. The Congress has rebuilt its original character of being an umbrella platform that carries with it people of all religions and castes, through the Karnataka campaign. While Congress workers will be looking up to Mr. Kharge to carry the Karnataka model to other parts of the country, the incoming Chief Minister will have the task of sustaining the momentum for the party in the State. He will have to deliver on the promises made to the people, and build a Karnataka model that works for the people, and consequently, for the Congress within the State and elsewhere in the country.”