Karnataka: 3 Ministers revive talk of additional Dy CM posts after Congress party’s subpar performance in LS polls
Deputy CM in Karnataka are back in the ruling Congress with three ministers talking about it openly even as the party is licking its wounds from a subpar performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls ending with just nine out of 28 seats.
This has revived discussions on the subject as a few ministers had, in the run up to the polls, sought community-wise posts of Dy CM arguing that such a move would help the party electorally. The party rejecting those demands and now ending up with about half the number of seats it had targeted has given new ammunition to some community leaders.
Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna and Minority Affairs Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan have at various fora, aired their opinion in public, exerting pressure on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The first two belong to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) while Khan is a Muslim. They have sought the party to revive discussions while Khan said Muslims have desired a Dy CM post for the community.
DK Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, is the only Dy CM now. The party faced polls under the joint leadership of both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar and both are on the defensive after the party lost Mysuru, the CM’s native district and Shivakumar failed to get his brother & sitting MP DK Suresh re-elected from Bengaluru Rural.
In January this year, senior Dalit ministers including G Parameshwara, Satish Jarakiholi, HC Mahadevappa, Rajanna and KH Muniyuappa had a dinner meeting, fuelling
