BELAGAVI: AS the Congress high command weighs a crucial leadership transition in Karnataka, senior party leader Satish Jarkiholi has positioned himself at the centre of the fast-evolving power equations, declaring that the final decision on the next Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president would rest with the outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and CM in-waiting DK Shivakumar after consultations with party leaders in Delhi.
Satish said that the Congress high command had entrusted Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar with the responsibility of deciding whether the party would continue with the present KPCC leadership or opt for a new face. Shivakumar is leading the Congress in the state since 2020.
“Complete responsibility of deciding who should lead the KPCC has been left to these two leaders,” Satish said, underlining the growing importance of the Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar equation in determining the party’s future in Karnataka.
In a politically significant statement with wider caste and community implications, Satish also openly expressed readiness to lead the influential AHINDA bloc— comprising minorities, backward classes and Dalits— long considered the core social base of Siddaramaiah’s politics. “There is a need for someone to lead the AHINDA communities in Karnataka. I am ready to shoulder that responsibility,” he said, in what is being viewed as a strong signal of his expanding political ambitions within the Congress.
Satish dismissed reports of MLAs allegedly collecting signatures against Siddaramaiah as “false and baseless speculation” and asserted that the leadership transition was unfolding peacefully as part of an understanding reached at the high command level.
According to him, even senior state leaders were unaware of the final decision taken in Delhi until it was formally communicated by the Congress leadership.
He maintained that Siddaramaiah’s proposed exit from the CM’s post was not the result of pressure tactics or rebellion within the party, but part of a broader political arrangement worked out by the high command.
Indicating that Shivakumar was expected to formally assume charge soon, Satish described such transitions as a natural process in politics.
Keeping suspense alive over the possibility of additional DCM posts, he said the issue would be decided only after the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting.
Meanwhile, sources in the Congress said AICC General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala has reportedly offered the KPCC president’s post to Satish amid intense lobbying by several senior leaders.
However, Satish is believed to have conveyed that he prefers to continue as a cabinet minister while simultaneously heading the state Congress unit, a formula that has gained traction after Shivakumar successfully retained the KPCC presidency while holding key ministerial portfolios in the government.
Sources close to Satish said that his supporters have strongly advised him against resigning from the cabinet, arguing that holding both positions would significantly enhance his political clout ahead of crucial developments in Karnataka politics.