Bengaluru: With senior Congress leader, Dr G. Parameshwar taking over as Deputy Chief Minister of the state, the post of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president will soon fall vacant.
Although party strongman, D.K. Shivakumar, who is credited with keeping the Congress flock together in the crucial few days it took to form the coalition government, is in running for the post, he is said to be miffed at it being seen as a ‘reward’ for his efforts when it is no longer lucrative with the party high command making it clear it would brook no interference in the running of the government.
On Wednesday, when UPA chairperson, Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Congress Rahul Gandhi were in Bengaluru, Mr Shivakumar had reportedly nursed hopes of being rewarded with a prominent Ministerial position.
But although they appreciated his work, all the indications were that he would be needed for party work. Worse still, there were rumours that JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda was against inducting him into the cabinet even as Mr Shivakumar and his brother, D K Suresh, stood guard around the MLAs, who need to be herded to Vidhana Soudha when Chief Minister Kumaraswamy attempts to prove his majority on Friday.
Unhappy at the reported stand of Mr Gowda, Mr Suresh is said to have demanded an assurance from the high command that he would be made minister and walked out of the Hilton hotel where the MLAs are lodgd. Mr Shivakumar too is reported to be sulking. But neither man is likely to do anything to endanger the government , according to sources.
During the last five years, the old guard in the Congress has been feeling sidelined by the "migrants" to the party headed by former Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah , who have been cornering many of its prominent positions.
