Shivakumar makes it clear that he is in no mood to relinquish KPCC chief’s post

Despite pressure, D.K. Shivakumar unlikely to step down as KPCC president amid internal party conflicts in Karnataka.

Despite pressure from loyalists of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to replace the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, Deputy Chief Minister and incumbent State chief of the party D.K. Shivakumar seems unlikely to relinquish the post.

Mr. Shivakumar, who met the party’s central leaders in Delhi on Tuesday, was in a combative mood on Wednesday and asserted the necessity of his leadership to the party in all the coming elections, from rural and urban local bodies to the next Legislative Assembly elections.

The high command, which has listened to Mr. Shivakumar’s views on the functioning of the party and the State government, also seems to be in no mood to change the KPCC leadership in the present circumstances.

It is being speculated that “some formula” had been worked out between Mr. Shivakumar and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the change of guard after 30 months of the Congress government. Ministers loyal to the Chief Minister, meanwhile, are pressing for implementation of the party’s Udaipur meeting resolution on ‘one man, one post’, which is a veiled attempt to corner Mr. Shivakumar, who is both Deputy Chief Minister, Minister with powerful portfolios, and is also heading the State Congress unit.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shivakumar is learnt to have told the Congress leadership that the present organisational arrangement in the State should be allowed to continue, to oversee the upcoming local body polls and construction of the party offices in 100 Assembly constituencies.

Earlier in the month, Ministers H.C. Mahadevappa, K.N. Rajanna, G. Parameshwara, and Satish Jarkiholi had gone to Delhi and apparently pleaded before the party high command to execute its commitment made in May 2023, that Mr. Shivakumar would continue as KPCC president only till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, the party high command appears to have not given much credence to the demand made by the Ministers.

Meanwhile, Minority and Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan said, “The Chief Minister’s chair is not vacant, and the party president’s chair is also not vacant. Mr. Shivakumar holds the president’s chair, and Mr. Siddaramaiah holds the Chief Minister’s chair. A discussion can happen only when a position is vacant.” He said Mr. Siddaramaiah was “like fire and none can touch him”.