<p>Bengaluru: Former minister Satish Jarkiholi on Friday said he would bear the Ahinda flag following Siddaramaiah’s resignation as the chief minister.</p>.<p>“I’ll try to fill Siddaramaiah’s shoes. Someone must bear the Ahinda flag. The system in Karnataka is such that an Ahinda leader gets born,” Satish, who belongs to the Valmiki (ST) community, said during a chat with reporters. </p>.By ‘forcing’ CM Siddaramaiah out, is Congress risking Ahinda drift?.<p>Siddaramaiah is widely credited with consolidating the Ahinda - a political coalition comprising of minorities, backward classes and Dalits - and Satish has been a part of this effort that has benefitted Congress. “Ahinda comprises 500 castes and it’s important to keep their confidence intact,” Satish said. </p>.<p><strong>Party president</strong></p>.<p>Satish confirmed having received a phone call from Congress general secretary K C Venugopal to discuss his prospects of becoming the next party president in Karnataka. “Yes, discussions are on,” he said. </p>.<p>It is said that Satish wants to be both party president and a minister, citing Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar’s example. Shivakumar was the deputy chief minister as well as Karnataka Congress president. Asked about this, Satish said: “The party has to decide. I’ve left this to Siddaramaiah to discuss with the party.” </p>.<p><strong>Kuruba for KPCC?</strong></p>.<p>There is buzz that the Congress high command has received a complaint against Satish, accusing him of engineering a signature campaign against Siddaramaiah’s continuation as the CM. This could scuttle Satish’s prospects. </p>.<p>Satish denied this. “There was no signature campaign. Even if 37 MLAs signed, what about the remaining 100? What was their opinion? This is being circulated on WhatsApp mischievously,” he said. Meanwhile, speculation is rife that senior Congress leader H M Revanna, a Kuruba and a Siddaramaiah loyalist, is being pushed as a contender for the Karnataka Congress president’s post. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Former minister Satish Jarkiholi on Friday said he would bear the Ahinda flag following Siddaramaiah’s resignation as the chief minister.</p>.<p>“I’ll try to fill Siddaramaiah’s shoes. Someone must bear the Ahinda flag. The system in Karnataka is such that an Ahinda leader gets born,” Satish, who belongs to the Valmiki (ST) community, said during a chat with reporters. </p>.By ‘forcing’ CM Siddaramaiah out, is Congress risking Ahinda drift?.<p>Siddaramaiah is widely credited with consolidating the Ahinda - a political coalition comprising of minorities, backward classes and Dalits - and Satish has been a part of this effort that has benefitted Congress. “Ahinda comprises 500 castes and it’s important to keep their confidence intact,” Satish said. </p>.<p><strong>Party president</strong></p>.<p>Satish confirmed having received a phone call from Congress general secretary K C Venugopal to discuss his prospects of becoming the next party president in Karnataka. “Yes, discussions are on,” he said. </p>.<p>It is said that Satish wants to be both party president and a minister, citing Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar’s example. Shivakumar was the deputy chief minister as well as Karnataka Congress president. Asked about this, Satish said: “The party has to decide. I’ve left this to Siddaramaiah to discuss with the party.” </p>.<p><strong>Kuruba for KPCC?</strong></p>.<p>There is buzz that the Congress high command has received a complaint against Satish, accusing him of engineering a signature campaign against Siddaramaiah’s continuation as the CM. This could scuttle Satish’s prospects. </p>.<p>Satish denied this. “There was no signature campaign. Even if 37 MLAs signed, what about the remaining 100? What was their opinion? This is being circulated on WhatsApp mischievously,” he said. Meanwhile, speculation is rife that senior Congress leader H M Revanna, a Kuruba and a Siddaramaiah loyalist, is being pushed as a contender for the Karnataka Congress president’s post. </p>
