Outgoing Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah appointed as member of Congress Working Committee

New Delhi: A day before DK Shivakumar will be sworn in as Karnataka Chief Minister, his predecessor Siddaramaiah was on Tuesday night appointed a member of the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed Siddaramaiah as a member of the CWC, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said in a statement.

He will be the 37th CWC member besides Kharge while there are 35 permanent invitees and 15 special invitees.

From Karnataka, Syed Naseer Hussain is also in the CWC while BK Hariprasad and M Veerappa Moily are Permanent Invitees.

The appointment came on a day Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah held discussions with the Congress High Command on the composition of the new Cabinet. Siddaramaiah had late last month resigned as Chief Minister, paving the way for the elevation of Shivakumar.

Sources said the 77-year-old leader’s inclusion in the CWC had been a foregone conclusion as the party wanted to give a signal that the leadership valued the ‘Ahinda’ leader for his contribution to the party.

This also seeks to blunt criticism that the Congress has removed its lone OBC Chief Minister while the party is going big on social justice plank. The Congress leadership had earlier offered him a Rajya Sabha seat, which he declined saying that he preferred to stay in state politics.