To maintain continuity in the State Congress as Karnataka goes to Legislative Assembly elections next year, the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) decided to retain G. Parameshwara as president of the Karnataka Pradesh To maintain continuity in the State Congress as Karnataka goes to Legislative Assembly elections next year, the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) decided to retain G. Parameshwara as president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).
However, the party high command has asked him to resign from the post of Home Minister and devote all his time and energy in discharging responsibilities of the party president. The 66-year-old Dalit leader has been KPCC president since October 2010. He was Minister of State for Sericulture in the S. Bangarappa Ministry and Minister for Higher Education, Information and Information Technology and Medical Education in the S.M. Krishna Ministry.
Senior leader and Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar has been appointed as Chairman of the Campaign Committee for the Assembly polls. The Congress has also said in a release that they would fight the Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The Lingayat leader and former Minister S.R. Patil from north Karnatka has been appointed as the KPCC working president, along with incumbent working president Dinesh Gundu Rao. Mr. Rao will look after party affairs in southern Karnataka, while Mr. Patil, who was dropped from the Cabinet about two years ago, will look after party work in north Karnataka. Former Union Minister K.H. Muniyappa has been included in the Congress Working Committee as a special representative, while former Minister Sathish Jarkiholi has been appointed as secretary of the AICC.
The AICC took the decision following a five-day hectic consultation with Ministers, legislators, DCC presidents, and former Ministers and AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, K.C. Venugopal, last week.
