BENGALURU: Thursday marked Chief Minister D K Shivakumar completing 100 days in office. It also marked his growing political influence as he marked his strong presence in the cooperative sector by ensuring that one of his family members, his brother-in-law and MLC S Ravi, became president of the Karnataka State Cooperative Apex Bank Ltd.
Although former cooperation minister K N Rajanna, a senior figure in the cooperative sector who had held the post in the past, emerged as a strong contender, the election did not take place. Ravi was elected unanimously as president for a tenure of 2.5 years after Rajanna did not file his nomination papers. By then, Shivakumar had managed to secure the support of most of the bank’s designated directors (18 except Rajanna) for his brother-in-law.
It was believed that Rajanna, a ST Nayaka leader backed by former chief minister Siddaramaiah, could clinch the coveted post. However, that did not happen.
Cooperation Minister Laxman Savadi announced Ravi as president and Sharanagouda Patil Bayyapur as vice-president. The duo was elected unopposed, in keeping with the convention of reaching a consensus on the Apex Bank leadership with the backing of the government in power.
The development is being seen as a political victory for Shivakumar, who backed Ravi for the top post despite Rajanna making a strong bid for it. Rajanna had held discussions with Congress high command leaders, including AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, besides Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, in an effort to secure the post.
However, the negotiations ultimately failed to secure Rajanna the coveted position. His absence during the nomination process at the Apex Bank office further underlined his disappointment over the outcome.
According to the power-sharing formula discussed within the ruling camp, Ravi is likely to hold the post for the first 2.5 years. Whether the arrangement will be changed later could depend on the political situation at the time, according to sources.
The outcome assumes significance as the Apex Bank president’s post is considered influential in Karnataka’s cooperative sector. Rajanna has suffered a political setback after failing to overcome Shivakumar’s preference for Ravi.
The episode also highlights Shivakumar’s growing influence in the cooperative sector and his ability to rally support among the bank’s board members for his preferred candidate.
For Shivakumar, it is a significant leap as he is also eyeing the appointment of his younger brother and former Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh as Karnataka Milk Federation chief, another key institution in the cooperative sector.
The development came as another setback for Rajanna, who was dismissed from the Siddaramaiah cabinet following his criticism of LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote chori’ campaign.