Sorake, G.C. Chandrashekar, Vinay Kulkarni among those in race for KPCC working president post
Bengaluru: In an apparent attempt to snub senior Congress leader and MLC B.K. Hariprasad, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has reportedly proposed to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge the name of former Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake to the post of working president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
Sources in the Congress said the Chief Minister and the party leaders were keen on replacing some of the incumbent working presidents, including Minister for Public Works Satish Jarkiholi and former MP B.N. Chandrappa, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Mr. Jarkiholi and Mr. Chandrappa are likely to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Belagavi and Chitradurga constituencies, respectively.
Sorake’s name was proposed by Mr. Siddaramaiah as the latter wants to counter his political rival Mr. Hariprasad within the party, sources claimed.
From coastal region
Mr. Sorake, who belonges to the Ediga community and hails from the coastal part of the State, worked under Mr. Siddaramaiah during his first term as the Chief Minister and was loyal to him. Moreover, no leader from the coastal districts has been appointed to the top KPCC post in the recent past.
Mr. Hariprasad also belongs to the Ediga community and has roots in the coastal districts. The former MP recently made some veiled attacks against the CM and expressed his disappointment on the functioning of the State government.
Currently, there are five working presidents — Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarkiholi and Eshwar Khandre (Ministers), Salim Ahmed, MLC, and Mr. Chandrappa.
A leader in the party said it is planning to appoint new working presidents for KPCC by replacing incumbents, especially those who are serving as Ministers in the government. The leader said names of Rajya Sabha member G.C. Chandrashekar, a Vokkaliga, and Vinay Kulkarni, a Veerashaiva Lingayat, belonging to Panchamasali sect, are also doing rounds for the post of the working presidents. The name of former MLA Anjali Nimbalkar is also being cited under the women’s quota.
Winnable candidates
Sources said KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar has appointed 28 Ministers as observers in each of Lok Sabha constituencies in the State for identifying winnable candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Ministers are expected to submit their reports in the next few days. Based on the reports, the party is likely to ask incumbent working presidents to step down.