BENGALURU: The All India Congress Committee is all set to end the suspense over who will be its State unit chief next. More than a month after incumbent president of the State Congress Dinesh Gundu Rao submitted his resignation, the party high command is set to announce his successor on Friday. Party sources said the central leadership is keen on appointing D K Shivakumar for the post.
Two days after summoning Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah to New Delhi to discuss the issue, the party bosses have zeroed in on their choice. Despite Siddaramaiah’s persuasion to keep Shivakumar off the race, the high command seems to have taken its decision based on the inputs received by various State leaders, In-charge General Secretary KC Venugopal and party observer Madhusudhan Mistry’s report.
During his meeting with the high command, Siddaramaiah, despite his cold war with Shivakumar, is said to have credited him with a fiery campaign in Chikkaballapur, Hunsur and KR Pete — all Vokkaliga-dominant constituencies.
The new president will have his hands full, especially after Siddaramaiah submitted an oral report to the high command pointing at four senior leaders’ failure to actively engage in electioneering, resulting in the party’s poor show in the byelections. The report yet again makes it clear that all is not well in the party.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate case of money laundering against him seems to be the only hurdle in Shivakumar’s path but the party is willing to overlook it for now.
Given his newfound appeal among the Vokkaliga community and the support he has been gathering in the community heartland of Old Mysore region, the high command seems to believe Shivakumar is their best bet to stop the saffron surge of the BJP that is steadily deepening its roots in the region.
Congress seems to be taking this gamble looking at caste equations. Faced with allegations of being biased, KC Venugopal too has requested that he be relieved from his responsibilities as in-charge of Karnataka given the bigger organisational role he has been vested with.
“It makes sense for the party to pick its next chief ministerial candidate and appoint them the KPCC chief right now so they can start working towards bringing the party and themselves to power. Convention mandates that the KPCC chief is from the majority community (Vokkaliga/Lingayat). The possibility of someone belonging to any other community is just a matter of chance,” pointed out an office-bearer of the KPCC.
While those in DK Shivakumar’s circles insist that Siddaramaiah will also be dropped from his position of CLP chief and Leader of the Opposition, making way for G Parameshwara to take over, sources from Siddaramaiah’s meeting with party high command in Delhi insist otherwise.
For now, two strong leaders —backward classes icon Siddaramaiah as CLP chief and Leader of the Opposition and Vokkaliga strongman Shivakumar as party chief seems to be the party high command’s choice.