Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday, 21 June 2026, welcomed B.K. Hariprasad as the new president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), presenting him with a copy of the Indian Constitution at his swearing-in ceremony and calling the document the party's guiding light.

Context

Writing in Kannada on X, Siddaramaiah conveyed his wishes to Hariprasad, saying — 'ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ ಸಮಾನತೆ, ಭ್ರಾತೃತ್ವ, ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ನ್ಯಾಯ ಮತ್ತು ಜಾತ್ಯತೀತತೆ' — 'liberty, equality, fraternity, social justice and secularism are the foundational ideals of the Constitution, and these are what I understand to be the ideology of the Congress party.' The Chief Minister added that for all those responsible for building Congress into a strong ideological party, 'the Constitution itself is the guiding lamp.'

Siddaramaiah further described the Constitution as 'the most powerful weapon in our hands' in the fight against those who, he said, seek to mislead people in the name of caste and religion and 'upend the democratic system itself.' He wished Hariprasad that the Constitution 'be your strength, your inspiration in your struggles, and your companion in your organisational work.'

Policy Backdrop

The Indian National Congress, one of India's oldest political parties, has historically anchored its identity in constitutional values — secularism, social justice, and equality — since the adoption of the Constitution in 1950. The KPCC is the state unit responsible for party organisation and electoral strategy in Karnataka.

B.K. Hariprasad is a veteran Congress leader from Karnataka with prior experience in state politics and the Rajya Sabha. His elevation to KPCC president is part of the party's internal organisational consolidation in the state, where Congress has been in power since its victory in the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections under Siddaramaiah.

Stakeholders and Impact

The symbolic gesture of gifting a Constitution copy at a party president's swearing-in carries deliberate political messaging, aimed at Congress cadres, Karnataka voters, and the broader secular and backward-caste support bases the party seeks to consolidate. Such constitutional symbolism has become a recurring motif for Congress as it seeks to distinguish itself from the BJP in competitive state politics.

The event is also significant for party morale at a time when Congress is working to rebuild ideological coherence and cadre strength after successive setbacks at the national level. Siddaramaiah closed his post with a call for unity: 'Together, let us make our state a garden of peace for all communities.'

What's Next

With Hariprasad now at the helm of the KPCC, attention will turn to how he shapes the party's organisational machinery in Karnataka ahead of future elections. Key decisions around cadre mobilisation, ticket distribution, and the party's positioning on state issues will be early tests of his tenure.

Siddaramaiah's public pledge — 'I will always be with you' — signals that the Chief Minister intends to remain closely involved in party affairs alongside his governmental responsibilities, a combination that will define the Congress's political trajectory in the state.