With an eye on KPCC chief post, DK Shivakumar backs Siddaramaiah as CM in 2018

“The Congress should be brought back to power in the coming assembly elections under Siddaramaiah's leadership and he should be made the CM," DK Shivakumar said.

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With AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal assuring earlier this week that speculation over the new KPCC President will come to an end by the end of May, Congressmen seem to be visibly lobbying for the post.

Energy Minister DK Shivakumar, believed to be lobbying for the post, said on Saturday that sitting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah must continue as the Chief Ministerial candidate in the upcoming Assembly polls.

Rakesh Prakash reports for The Times of India that minister Shivakumar's statements came as "surprise" and quotes him as saying:

“The Congress should be brought back to power in the coming assembly elections under Siddaramaiah's leadership and he should be made the CM."

The post of KPCC President is crucial for the Karnataka Congress, especially as the state is going into polls next year and the new KPCC President will lead the poll strategy, in close association with the CM.

Earlier, a report published by Deccan Chronicle quoted unnamed sources close to Siddaramaiah as saying that the latter was in "no mood to accept Shivakumar's elevation as the party chief."

What has forced Shivakumar to be seen in favour of Siddaramaiah is the caste census that was leaked on Saturday, TOI states.

TOI reports:

"The reports said dalits form the largest community in the state with 1.48 crore (Scheduled Castes 1.08 crore and Scheduled Tribes 40.45 lakh) and followed by Muslims (70 lakh), Lingayats (65 lakh), Vokkaligas (60 lakh), Kurubas (45 lakh) and other backward classes (95 lakh). The Congress has to either appoint a dalit or a candidate backed by Siddaramaiah, who enjoys the support of Muslims and backward classes, as the KPCC chief."

4-years of governance

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government completed 4 years in office on May 13 and an event to celebration was held in Chitradurga.

While minister Shivakumar was seen projecting Siddaramaiah as the CM candidate in the upcoming polls, the minister also took the opportunity to hit out at the BJP. Accusing BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa of trying to malign the government, the minister said that all BJP leaders did when in power, "was to go and come out of jail."

CM Siddaramaiah said that it was certain that the Congress will retain power in the state, especially after implementing a series of welfare schemes in the past four years.

Commenting on the BJP recently releasing a "chargesheet" against the state government, Siddaramaiah accused the opposition party of not having any moral grounds to do so. With prominent state leaders of the BJP themselves facing corruption charges, the party had no moral grounds in pointing fingers at the Congress government, Siddaramaiah maintained.

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With an eye on KPCC chief post, DK Shivakumar backs Siddaramaiah as CM in 2018

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