Most KPCC working presidents to finally be replaced?

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The idea of replacing most Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working presidents has resurfaced and the party is likely to pull the trigger this time.

The plan was mooted back in August but nothing came of it. Party workers are of the view that too many people holding key posts in Karnataka Congress were also members of Chief Minister’s Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet and could not do justice to both roles.

They argue that fresh blood is needed, especially since Lok Sabha elections are due next year.

As many as three of the five KPCC working presidents are ministers: Ramalinga Reddy (Transport), Eshwar Khandre (Forests) and Satish Jarkiholi (Public Works).

The other two are Saleem Ahmed and BN Chandrappa, who had replaced R Dhruvanarayana when the latter died in March. It is to be noted that each working president of the state unit comes from a different community.

The Transport Minister is a Reddy. Khandre is a Lingayat. Jarkiholi comes from the Nayaka community, which is a Scheduled Tribe (ST). Saleem is a Muslim while Chandrappa is a Dalit like Dhruvaranayana before him.

The ministers also ensure representations for different communities. Moreover, KPCC campaign committee chairman MB Patil is the Minister for Large and Small Scale Industries.

Priyank Kharge holds the responsibilities of the state Congress communications chairman and the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR), besides Information Technology and Bio-Technology (IT-BT) Minister. Home Minister G Parameshwara is also the KPCC manifesto committee chairman.

This makes up seven Congressmen who currently hold key responsibilities in both the State government and the state unit of the party. They are also ministerial in-charges of various districts.

Newcomers to have singular focus.

It is expected that the new KPCC working presidents would only hold responsibilities in the party and not have additional ministerial duties. Chandrappa, who comes from the ritually left hand Dalit communities (Madigas and their sub-castes) might be asked to contest from the Chitradurga Lok Sabha constituency from where he has won before.

He might be replaced by Raichur District Congress Committee (DCC) chief Vasantha Kumar, who is said to be close to party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Ramalinga Reddy is likely to make way for a Vokkaliga in Rajya Sabha MP GC Chandrashekar.

Khandre, a Lingayat is likely to be replaced by party MLA from Dharwad Vinay Kulkarni, who is a fellow Lingayat who hails from the Panchamasali sect.

Interestingly CM Siddaramaiah has been advocating for former minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, who comes from the Ediga caste. It is being speculated that as the KPCC working president, Sorake, a Siddaramaiah loyalist, can counter fellow Ediga and MLC BK Hariprasad who has berated the CM publically on multiple occasions.

Former Congress MLA from Khanapur Anjali Nimbalkar’s name is also being mooted under the women’s quota. She had lost to her BJP rival Vitthal Halgekar in May.

Otherwise, the party high command may choose to retain Saleem and Shivakumar, who is the KPCC president and Deputy CM.