Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (MS)
New Delhi, Aug 25: Rumours are rife in the state about the change in guard of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief post. At the same time, former minister and senior leader of state Congress D K Shivakumar is in the capital of country and has met number of senior leaders of the party.
D K Shivakumar has been in the capital since three days. He has met Ahmed Patel, general secretary of AICC and other leaders also besides Sonia Gandhi.
It is believed that Shivakumar has conveyed the top leadership of the party that he is ready to shoulder any party responsibility that is given to him, though officially nothing is known as of now. He has also told the chiefs of the party that if not the KPCC chief, he is ready to take on the position of CLP leader in the assembly of the state.
KPCC was dissolved by the then president of AICC Rahul Gandhi after the Lok Sabha elections. However, both Dinesh Gundu Rao and Ishwar Khandre were asked to continue as president and working president of the party respectively.
It is also being heard through reliable sources that Sonia Gandhi is mulling of replacing all the existing officer bearers of the state units of Congress party.
In the midst of the rumours of DKS, it is also heard that former CM and senior leader Siddaramaiah is lobbying in favour of former minister Krishna Byre Gowda or R Dhruvanarayana, former MP from Chamarajanagar for the post of KPCC president.
It is learnt that Siddaramaiah is pushing the case of Krishna Byre Gowda, if the Congress wants to go by a Vokkaliga caste leader. At the same time, he has also recommended the Dhruvanarayana if the party wants to make a Scheduled Caste leader as its next president.
In addition to lobbying for his favourites, it is also said that Siddaramaiah himself is interested to become the leader of opposition in the assembly. Congress has not yet appointed anyone to this position, though Yediyurappa formed the government nearly a month ago.
Shivakumar negated any rumours of his lobbying for KPCC president post by simply saying that he is not aspiring for any new position in the party.