After many controversies surrounding Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah which include infamous Hublot watch controversy which has taken a beating of the image of the ruling Congress party and personally of the Chief Minister, the Congress party has decided to recruit professional agencies to help rebuild the image.
A senior aide of Siddaramaiah on the condition of anonymity told The Pioneer that they were in discussion with two professional agencies to help rebuild the image of the Chief Minister which has suffered very badly in recent times. According to him the party high command was in agreement to build the image of the party keeping in view of the ensuing general elections to the Assembly in two years' time.
He said “we are of the opinion that the image of the party and the Chief Minister have taken beating and we are looking at two professional agencies to work out plans to disseminate the good work done by the Government to the general public.” “The high command is also aware and in agreement with this”, he added.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who was involved in a major controversy over his Rs70 lakh Hublot wrist watch gifted by a doctor friend from Dubai and after it created a ruckus in the both the houses of the legislature and later who has gifted it to the State Government has really dented his image within the party and outside. The failure of impressive mandate for the Congress in the local body elections and three by polls which are considered as preamble to ensuing Assembly polls has made the party to seek the help of professional agencies to counter the Opposition influence in the State.
The party wants to hire these agencies to help rebuild the image of Siddaramaiah, look at ways to disseminate Government's programmes and also to assess the performance of the ruling MlAs. Siddaramaiah who has played backward classes appeasement politics to the hilt has completed 1000 days in office and has two more years to go for general elections for the Assembly. For Congress, as expressed several times by its vice president Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka is very crucial and important to keep its vote share intact across the country. Siddaramaiah is also facing a major revolt within the party as an outsider who did not heed to the aspirations of the dominant communities.
According to party sources one of the agencies they are in talk is the agency which helped Narendra Modi to build his brand when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. As both the agencies are from Mumbai the party is keen to hire one of them immediately to tackle the growing unpopularity chart of the chief minister. According to a party senior leader they were in talks with Brand Monachis and APCO Worldwide for this job. APCO had managed the branding for Narendra Modi when he was chief minister of Gujarat, and Brand Monachis had worked for the Shiv Sena during the recent Assembly elections in Maharashtra.