BELAGAVI: The tussle for the chief minister’s chair continues in Congress with Dr Ramesh Doddannavar, son of former Belagavi District Congress president Komalanna Doddannavar, hosting a dinner on Thursday on behalf of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar with over 30 MLAs taking part.
MLAs Balakrishna, Bandi Siddanagouda, Iqbal Hussain and others were at the dinner. This was said to be in counter to MLC Yathindra’s recent statement that his father, Siddaramaiah, would remain CM for five years. Though the dinner at Doddannavar’s place is touted as a show of strength, those who attended it dismissed any such claims.
“It was only a dinner party. About 50- 60 MLAs attended the dinner. Such a meeting cannot be termed a show of strength. We did not discuss politics. If Shivakumar hosts a dinner, he will invite all the 224 MLAs. They will all come. That is because Shivakumar has cultivated several friends and he has strived hard for the party. If the party wants him as CM, he need not wait till Sankranti. He will become CM immediately after this session,” said Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain.
Bandi Siddanagowda, Srirangapatna MLA, said that the high command will decide when Shivakumar will become CM. “For the dinner, I was invited by my Belagavi friends. Do not draw any inference from it. There was no discussion on leadership,” he said.
Magadi MLA Balakrishna said there was no head count or a meeting. “Some MLAs came and a few could not due to various reasons. It was just a dinner, nothing else,” he said.
On the chief minister’s New Delhi visit, he said, “Everybody knows the purpose of his visit. My request to Yathindra is not to embarrass the party.”
ST Somashekar said if it is destined, nobody can stop Shivakumar from becoming CM. “Why shouldn’t he become CM. He has worked hard for the party.” But MLA AS Ponanna said, “Somashekar is expelled from BJP, but he cannot join our party. He does not have the moral right to speak about our party.”