Dinesh Gundu Rao new Karnataka Congress Chief

Dinesh Gundurao succeeds Parameshwara as Karnataka Cong chief

Ending much speculation, the Congress on Wednesday appointed Dinesh Gundurao as its Karnataka Pradesh Congress unit president.

Gundurao succeeds incumbent president G Parameshwara, who has since become the Deputy Chief Minister in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government.

Gundurao (48), the five-time MLA from the Gandhinagar constituency in Bengaluru, is currently serving as Working President of the KPCC. Son of former Chief Minister R Gundu Rao, he also served as national spokesperson in the AICC and as the Food and Civil Supplies Minister in the Siddaramaiah Government in Karnataka.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi also appointed Easwar Khandre, a young Lingayat leader and an MLA from Bhalki in Bidar district, as the new working president of the party's Karnataka unit. Khandre served as Minister of State for Municipalities and Urban Local Bodies, in the Siddaramaiah headed government earlier.

“The Congress party appreciates the hard work done by G Parameshwara, who successfully led the party for the last eight years and is stepping down from his responsibility,” AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot said in a statement here.

Several senior leaders, including former Union Minister K H Muniyappa, Rajya Sabha member B K Hariprasad, Irrigation Minister D K Shivakumar and senior leader H K Patil, were lobbying for the key post.

However, sources said Gandhi opted for a new team of young leaders to steer the party considering that they can work hard to strengthen the organisation

Though Shivakumar was trying hard for the post, several Vokkaliga leaders were opposed to his candidature.

According to sources, Gandhi had offered the post to former irrigation minister and Lingayat leader M B Patil, but he was keen on becoming a minister in the Kumaraswamy cabinet.

When Gundurao's name came up first, several senior leaders opposed it saying that he would be lightweight and difficult to handle the legislators as much of them were senior to him.

As the seniors versus juniors lobbying increases, some leaders feel that the party should make a backward class or Lingayat leader instead of Brahmin as it would help the party.

Already the party had given two posts to Brahmin – Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar and Revenue Minister R V Deshpande. Giving a post to another Brahmin could irk other castes, a section of the party leaders felt.