Siddaramaiah loyalists mount pressure for replacing Shivakumar as KPCC president

New Delhi: Amid power tussle, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his loyalists leaders have started pressuring the Congress top brass to remove Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar as president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. 

Siddaramaiah, who met Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge here on Thursday night, suggested for replacing Shivakumar as KPCC president before local bodies polls, sources in Congress said. 

The local bodies polls including BBMP, Zilla and Taluk Panchayats polls were long due in state and the chief minister suggested appointing new state unit chief would help to hold vigorous campaign and strengthening the party during polls, the CM reportedly suggested. 

Even some strong followers of Siddaramaiah including Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, Minority Affairs Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa, who met Kharge at Bengaluru on Thursday, also favoured appointing new state unit chief. 

Shivakumar was appointed as KPCC chief in July  2020. When party came to power in state in 2023, the party said Shivakumar, who was made deputy CM, will continue as the state unit chief for one year. However, Shivakumar, who nurses chief ministerial ambition, has been pressuring the party top brass to allow him to continue to hold the position of KPCC chief. 

Shivakumar reportedly suggested that he wants to hold the post for some more time as he wants to construct new Congress Bhavan at Bengaluru and 100 offices across state. 

The CM suggested appointing Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre or PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi for state unit chief. These 2 leaders agreed to take the responsibility with the condition that they should be allowed to continue to hold minister’s post at least for one year, sources said.