After remaining in virtual vacuum for nearly three months, Karnataka Congress finally got its leadership with the party high command on Wednesday appointing senior leader D K Shivakumar as the state unit chief.
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah has been reappointed as the chief of the Congress Legislative Party and the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly.
Shivakumar, a former minister and known to be the Congress' chief troubleshooter in crisis situations, replaces Dinesh Gundu Rao as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief.
A six-time MLA, Shivakumar had hosted Congress legislators from Gujarat here in 2017 to ensure the victory of AICC leader Ahmed Patel in Rajya Sabha elections.
He was a key link in the Congress-JDS coalition and had made hectic attempts to prevent the collapse of the H D Kumaraswamy-led government last year after a section of the then ruling MLAs revolted.
Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao had quit their posts in December after the party's dismal show, winning only two of the 15 seats in the bypolls, yielding 12.
More From This Section
In a first, the KPCC will now have three Working Presidents, with party on Wednesday also appointing Satish Jharkiholi and Saleem Ahammed to the post, along with Eashwar Khandre, who is currently holding the position.
Speaking to reporters here after the announcement, Shivakumar said, keeping trust in him, party leaders and 'karyakartas' (workers) have got him the post through AICC President Sonia Gandhi.
Noting that the high command always had trust in him since the time he was a student leader, he said, "whatever position I may attain...Working President (in the past), President (now) I will be a karyakarta of the party, and I will be the voice of the karyakartas and work for the people of the state.
"I'm a worshiper of the party and not any individual," he said, in an apparent message to the state leaders, as he wished to work as KPCC President taking all party leaders together.
Though his name was decided by the high command much before, it was a long wait for Vokkaliga strong man. Party sources said there was opposition within.
There were reports that Siddarmaiah was lobbying in favour of one of his confidants for the top job.
Siddaramaiah is said to be the man behind the idea of three Working Presidents seen as a move to weaken Shivakumar's hold on the party.
The former chief minister also managed to keep both the CLP and LOP post with him, despite calls for it to seperated.
Several other leaders are also said to have opposed Shivakumar's name, citing his recent arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
However, Shivakumar's loyalty, roles that he has played in the party's interest during troubled times, worked in his favour, a Congress leader said.
His appointment will help in consolidating the party in southern parts of the state, where Vokkaligas are in large number, the leader added.
Some also point to the timing as his appointment followed Jyotiraditya Scindia, a known face of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, quitting the party over being 'sidelined'.
In other appointment, Ajay Singh has been made the chief whip in the Karnataka Assembly, while M Narayanaswamy will be the party's chief whip in the Legislative Council.