DKS may be state Cong president

Congress leaders from the state on Friday suggested to the party high command that Energy Minister D K Shivakumar be appointed the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president.

With the incumbent president G Parameshwara’s term having already ended, the high command has sought names of probables from state leaders for the post.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara during their meeting with party president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary incharge of Karnataka, Digvijaya Singh are learnt to have suggested Shivakumar’s name. With Siddaramaiah planning to reshuffle his ministry next month, he is learnt to have asked the party top brass to announce the new president’s name simultaneously.

“The party top brass have agreed to the chief minister’s suggestion and promised to appoint new state president to state soon”, sources told Deccan Herald. Though Shivakumar wanted to continue as minister even after becoming the state unit president, the high command did not give its consent for it. He has agreed to quit as minister and work for the party, sources said. Though party leaders had asked Animal Husbandry Minister A Manju whether he wanted to be the KPCC chief, he had rejected the offer saying that he would preferred to serve as minister, sources said.

With the BJP appointing Lingayat leader B S Yeddyurappa as state unit president, Congress has taken a decision to appoint a Vokkaliga as its state president. Though the party leaders were earlier planning to appoint Lingayat leaders IT Minister S R Patil or State Representative in Delhi Appaji Nadagouda, now they have decided to select Vokkaliga leader keeping with view of the assembly elections in the state, a senior leader said.

“As Yeddyurappa is a powerful Lingayat leader, appointing another leader from the same community as KPCC chief would not help the Congress. Instead by having a  Vokkaliga as state unit president, the party can woo the other dominant community as well as minorities, other backward classes and dalits,” a senior leader said.