Priyank Kharge elevated to top leadership in Karnataka Congress

With the Congress leadership making him a minister in the first round itself along with party veterans, Chittapur MLA Priyank Kharge has now been catapulted to the top leadership in Karnataka Congress.

Priyank's presence in the first list of ministers is seen as a subtle signal and a setback to younger leaders, including former Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao and former Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, for whom Chief Minister Siddaramaiah fought as he wanted to groom them as future leaders.

The name of the three-time MLA from Chittapur was aggressively pushed by Karnataka Congress state president D K Shivakumar during the negotiations ahead of Cabinet formation and especially when the central leadership decided to prune the list to eight.

Read | Karnataka minister says Siddaramaiah will be CM for 5 years; Deputy CM Shivakumar points at Congress high command

Shivakumar also wanted to send a message that he was encouraging a young Dalit legislator to take on bigger tasks later.

Being the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also added to Priyank's advantage while Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar fought against each other on certain names.

He is not new in government. He was made a minister first in 2016 (IT-BT minister). He also became Social Welfare Minister in the 2018 JD(S)-Congress coalition government.

It was no secret in political circles that Siddaramaiah was reluctant to induct Priyank as a minister in 2016 but he relented following central leaders' intervention.

2 purposes served

A senior leader told DH that Shivakumar, by supporting Priyank's cause, has served two purposes -- one to promote a young leader and another to keep his father Kharge, who heads the party now, in good books.

"Since Priyank was made Cabinet minister, he will definitely get a plum portfolio. With the backing of Shivakumar, Priyank would have a say in the Cabinet as well as in the government," said the leader.

Even Priyank can be a future Dalit leader in the state when senior Dalit leaders, including K H Muniyappa, G Parameshwara and H C Mahadevappa, make way for juniors.

The leader said Shivakumar has been aggressively promoting MP R Dhruvanarayana but after the latter's death recently, he has turned to Priyank.

He had gained prominence under Shivakumar as the 44-year-old was made chairman of the party's Communication Department in the state, which designed a number of campaigns against the BJP.

Successful social media manager

Priyank, also credited for a successful social media and digital media campaign against the BJP government, was at the forefront of attacking the BJP government for the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of sub-inspectors and the Hyderabad-Karnataka Development Board.