Why the Big 5 of Karnataka politics will remember 2004

Five political stalwarts of Karnataka will never forget Year 2004. For it changed their political fortunes. Much touted CM No 1 S M Krishna's career in active politics ended abruptly. Down-and-out Deve Gowda rose from the ashes to call the shots. Unassuming Dharam Singh emerged from the shadows to become the CM. Perennial rebel S. Bangarappa jumped from the frying pan into the fire.Ananth Kumar created ripples, couldn't conquer and disappeared from the state scene. S.M. Krishna When everything was going right for him, Krishna committed harakiri by advancing assembly elections by eight months to coincide with parliamentary polls. He didn't sense the disillusionment among the rural populace, who found him too pro-urban. The Congress fared badly and was forced to join hands with arch-rival JD(S) to stay in power. Krishna tried to pick up the threads by taking on bete noire Gowda, who was out to embarrass him by ordering probes against his men. He even put Dharam Singh in the dock by highlighting infrastructure woes. There was also talk of him taking over as the KPCC chief. But he was packed off as Governor of Maharashtra, where he is now nursing the wounds of that one fateful move. Deve Gowda In his farewell speech in Parliament after a 10-month stint as PM, when the Congress pulled the rug from under his feet, he had vowed to rise from the dust. No one took him seriously. He went into a shell. Eight years later, he did rise like a phoenix, not in Delhi but in his home state, when his JD(S) won a sizeable number of assembly seats in Karnataka, leaving the Congress and BJP gasping for breath. In another master stroke, he went in for a marriage of convenience between his JD(S) and the Congress to keep the BJP — which had emerged as the single largest party — away from power. Now, he remote-controls the coalition. At the party level, he has ensured that his family stays at the helm of affairs, and has sidelined the likes of one-time blue-eyed boy Siddaramaiah, P.G.R. Sindhia and M.P. Prakash. What a comeback! Dharam Singh A low profile and cool politician, he was a permanent member of all the Congress ministries in the last several years. He never lost an election and was happy handling any portfolio. But no one ever believed that he was CM material. When the coalition took shape, the only name that cropped up for CM's post was of Dharam Singh. He couldn't believe it himself. Gowda immediately accepted his candidature. Other aspirants in the Congress didn't object. Sonia gave the final nod. The initial few months were a nightmare for him. With Gowda breathing down his neck, he faltered at every step, inviting the wrath of the people, his party bosses and the industry. Gradually he gathered courage, spoke his mind out, handled pressure groups diplomatically and gained control. To his luck, Veerappan was killed and good rains removed the spectre of drought. Now he appears to be firmly in the driver's seat. S. Bangarappa Ever since he was forced to step down as CM 12 years ago, when Congressmen led by Veerappa Moily rebelled against him over his style of functioning, Bangarappa has been in the wilderness. He quit the Congress and formed his own party, but it failed to make a mark. He rejoined the Congress just before 1999 elections, but was not given any role to play. In 2004, he surprised everyone by joining the BJP, a party he had always loved to hate. But the BJP leadership kept him at a distance. He was not given prominence. To his bad luck, the BJP-led NDA lost power at the Centre. And the local unit couldn't form the government. Without power, Bangarappa is like a fish out of water. He is now at the crossroads. Ananth Kumar He always preferred to stay away from Bangalore. He enjoyed hobnobbing with veterans like Vajpayee and Advani at the national level. The leadership thought otherwise. When Krishna called for early polls, he was sent back to Bangalore to head the BJP unit. It found CM material in him. He could be the first BJP CM of the South, it thought. He was a minister in the Vajpayee cabinet then. Reluctantly, he agreed. He did work hard and enthuse the rank and file. It yielded results, but not enough to form the government. He tried but failed to woo Gowda for support. Dejected, he has now returned to Delhi to work for the party at the national level.