Karnataka senior leaders oppose appointing young MLAs as deputy CMs

New Delhi: Senior Congress leaders, who served as ministers in the Siddaramaiah government, including G Parameshwara, M B Patil and Ramalinga Reddy, have opposed the appointment of young legislators as deputy chief ministers in the new government, sources said.

Parameshwara and Patil met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal on Friday to convey their concerns, the sources said.

The opposition comes amid speculation over the possible elevation of Priyank Kharge, son of Mallikarjun Kharge, and Yathindra, son of outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah, as deputy CMs.

The sources said the senior state leaders have made it clear to the party leadership that they would be unwilling to serve under younger leaders in the government.

They are said to have conveyed that if the party proceeds with appointing young legislators as deputy chief ministers, they would prefer to stay out of the government and instead, work for the organisation.

The sources said senior leaders Ramalinga Reddy and K J George also shared similar views with the central leadership.

Initially, newly elected Congress Legislature Party leader D K Shivakumar was also opposed to the appointment of multiple deputy chief ministers, arguing that it could create additional power centres. 

However, the Congress high command is understood to be considering the appointment of three DCMs, representing Lingayats, Scheduled Castes and minorities.

Parameshwara as KPCC chief

Meanwhile, with former home minister Parameshwara’s name being considered for the post of Speaker, he has reportedly expressed a preference for serving as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president instead.

The sources said Shivakumar has also backed Parameshwara for the state unit chief’s post.

Although senior ST leader Satish Jarkiholi is said to be lobbying for the KPCC presidency, several leaders have opposed his candidature.

The sources indicated that Jarkiholi, once considered a close confidant of Siddaramaiah, no longer enjoys the backing of the Kuruba leader. They added that he has recently sought to maintain closer ties with Shivakumar amid the ongoing power dynamics within the party.