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Who will be Karnataka CM? Amid Shivakumar-Siddaramaiah face-off new names emerge
The impasse in the Congress selecting the next chief minister (CM) in Karnataka spawned a litany of demands on Tuesday.
The impasse in the Congress over the selection of the next chief minister of Karnataka spawned a litany of demands Tuesday - a surprise third contender throwing his hat in the ring, regional leaders hopeful of taking advantage of the stalemate, multiple claimants jostling to take the deputy chief minister's position, and even influential community bodies trying to push their own men, trying to take advantage of the delay.
On Tuesday, the loudest claim came from former deputy chief minister G Parameshwara, who said that he too could gather '50 MLA’s and go to Delhi', but was abstaining because he had principles. "If the high command gives me the responsibility, I am ready to take it. I have belief in our leadership."
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Who is G Parameshwara?
Parameshwara is a Dalit leader who was the longest-serving state unit president - between 2010 and 2018 - and has been considered for this post before. In 2013, when the Congress won a majority, he was one of the front-runners but lost out to Siddaramaiah.
He lost his traditional Korategere seat to the Janata Dal Secular’s PR Sudhakara Lal - his only loss since 2008 - was elected to the upper house and made a minister. "The high command knows my contributions, I worked as KPCC president for eight years and brought the party to power, and I have worked as the deputy CM. That I am not lobbying that does not mean I am not capable."
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Another CM demand
Meanwhile, from Mumbai Karnataka -- a region where the Congress won 33 of 50 seats, breaching what was once a Bharatiya Janata Party fortress -- two demands came rolled into one.
Belagavi North lawmaker Asif Sait pitched state Congress working president Satish Jarkiholi, one of the sugar baron Jarkiholi brothers; the other two - Ramesh and Balchandra - are BJP legislators. He also had a name for his deputy.
"In north Karnataka, Satish Jarkiholi is our leader and should be given the post. The deputy chief minister post should be given to senior leader Zameer Ahmad Khan. We have written a letter to the Congress high command. If they do not respond, the party will face resistance from the community in the coming days," Sait warned.
Support for Ahmad Khan as deputy CM also spilled out on to the streets in Koppal district's Gangavathi, where local residents organised a protest.
A fifth name
Also, supporters of former state home minister Ramalinga Reddy argued the seven-time MLA was elected to the legislature more often than both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, and deserved the deputy CM’s post at least.
"When Yediyurappa was chief minister, he made three community members ministers. After him, only one cabinet berth was given, and the BJP has paid for it. Ramalinga Reddy should be made deputy CM and two members of the community should be made ministers," the Karnataka Reddy Jan Sangha demanded.
Lingayats add to chaos
The All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha - which represents a sections of the Lingayats, among the most powerful communities in the state - said it wrote to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, asking for a Lingayat CM.
The body argued the shift in the Lingayats -- Karnataka’s largest community with 17% of the population --was key to the Congress’s impressive victory. Of the 51 Lingayat candidates fielded by the Congress, 38 won, compared with 18 of the 68 fielded by the BJP.
"The community has also played a major role in electing MLAs in other 50 seats. The community has shifted its loyalty from the BJP to Congress," said the letter.
A senior Congress MLA who is a member of the group said, however, that if the CM’s chair was occupied, the community would settle for no less than deputy chief minister. Former senior minister MB Patil is considered the tallest Lingayat leader in the party.
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With the stalemate in Delhi between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar showing little sign of a quick resolution, the delay allows more groups to lobby every day.
A senior leader who served in the 2013 Congress cabinet but requested anonymity said one idea mooted by a section of leaders suggested four deputy CM from each of the four major communities -Lingayat, Vokkaliga, Muslim and Dalit.
But in the Congress’s delicate challenge of finding the right balance, this too may present a challenge of its own. "One of the two CM contenders may be offered deputy CM. Creating more such posts may well create further friction," the leader added.
