BELAGAVI: The swearing-in of Congress party's noted leader D K Shivakumar as the new chief of KPCC is expected to add new vigour to the grand old party in Mumbai-Karnataka, a traditional Congress stronghold which BJP has been able to capture in the recent times.
Several Congress leaders from Mumbai-Karnataka region expect Shivakumar to bolster the party to regain its lost ground here. According to sources, former State Congress Women's Cell President Laxmi Hebbalkar and KPCC working president Satish Jarkiholi will be given more powers by Shivakumar to rebuild the party in the regionfrom the grassroots.
The mood in the Congress camps in Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot and all other districts of Mumbai-Karnataka has been upbeat as the new KPCC chief is likely to set a target to the leaders in this region to win at least 90 per cent of the 54 assembly seats in the next election, sources said.
BJP had won 35 seats against 17 of the Congress in Mumbai-Karnataka in the last assembly election. After Operation Lotus last year, more MLAs from Congress and JDS joined the saffron party.
Hebbalkar, a close confidante of Shivakumar is confident that the party will regain its lost momentum in all parts of Karnataka, especially in Mumbai-Karnataka region with the elevation of Shivakumar as KPCC Chief. She said, the leader may utilise the capabilities of many tall leaders of the party in the region to rebuild the party in those segments where the rival parties have been able to defeat the Congress.
MLA Ganesh Hukkeri also expects Shivakumar to take the party to new heights in the state by making best use of his experience and political strategies. He said, the party workers at the grassroots in the state were rejoicing at the elevation of Shivakumar.
Supporters of Hebbalkar are fervently waiting for the new KPCC president to allot a new role to her in the party as she has not only grown popular among the dominant Lingayat community in Mumbai-Karnataka but has played a key role in building the party.