Why Karnataka deputy CM D K Shivakumar is refusing to step down from the post of state Congress president

Karnataka deputy chief minister and senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar has reportedly refused to step down from the post of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee state president. 

 

With local body elections round the corner, the rival faction led by Chief Minister Siddharamaiah has been demanding that Shivakumar resign from the post. A group of ministers close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, including state ministers Satish Jarkiholi and K N Rajanna, sought his removal highlighting the party's 'one man one post' policy. The ministers claimed there was a written note with the AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on the change of the KPCC president after the Lok Sabha elections. However, the minister who pioneered the campaign, K N Rajanna, got entangled in a honeytrap controversy, which stole the fiz from the campaign. 

 

Shiva Kumar, during his two-day Delhi trip, informed the High Command that he had no intention to relinquish the post. The top brass has already informed the Siddaramaiah faction of the decision, according to The Times of India.

 

Speculations are that Shiva Kumar's decision to stay in the post is related to his ambitions to become the Chief Minister. He believes stepping down could weaken his stronghold within the party. He has also informed the High Command of his ambitions. 

 

In the light of the faction feud with Siddaramaiah faction, Shivakumar is said to have decided to stay in the post as a means to balance the power equation, especially amid rumours that there could be a change in Chief Minister. Shivakumar, who was deeply dissatisfied after being passed over for the CM post in favour of Siddaramaiah, was rumoured to have been offered the CM's post-mid-term. The combo deal of the KPCC president and deputy CM was offered as a consolation then.

 

The High Command too was not in favour of changing Shiva Kumar, considering how Karnataka has become a symbol of governance success for Congress. With the local body and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections around the corner, the party was not in the mood to take risks like leadership change.

India