Karnataka: 3 Ministers revive talk of additional Dy CM posts after Congress party’s subpar performance in LS polls

Demands for creation of new posts of Deputy CM in Karnataka are back in the ruling Congress with three ministers talking about it openly even as the party is licking its wounds from a subpar performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls ending with just nine out of 28 seats.

This has revived discussions on the subject as a few ministers had, in the run up to the polls, sought community-wise posts of Dy CM arguing that such a move would help the party electorally. The party rejecting those demands and now ending up with about half the number of seats it had targeted has given new ammunition to some community leaders.

Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna and Minority Affairs Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan have at various fora, aired their opinion in public, exerting pressure on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The first two belong to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) while Khan is a Muslim. They have sought the party to revive discussions while Khan said Muslims have desired a Dy CM post for the community.

DK Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, is the only Dy CM now. The party faced polls under the joint leadership of both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar and both are on the defensive after the party lost Mysuru, the CM’s native district and Shivakumar failed to get his brother & sitting MP DK Suresh re-elected from Bengaluru Rural.

In January this year, senior Dalit ministers including G Parameshwara, Satish Jarakiholi, HC Mahadevappa, Rajanna and KH Muniyuappa had a dinner meeting, fuelling speculations that they are actively pursuing the idea. Parameshwara was the Dy CM in the JD(S)-Congress coalition regime.

These demands are mostly coming from ministers seen as loyal to the CM. The AICC has not encouraged discussions on the subject as the Delhi leadership is aware that such a move would end up neutralising Shivakumar’s standing in the government. As the lone Dy CM, he currently commands an equal say in the administrative issues in the government.

Speculations are that Shivakumar will succeed Siddaramaiah after some time. An independent analyst said the ministers airing the demand are seeking to lift their own stock in the party hierarchy with a subtle message that they be also considered as potential successors to Siddaramaiah for CM’s post, or for the Dy CM post if Shivakumar were to get the coveted post.

The previous BJP regime too, under the then Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had three Deputy CMs - Laxman Savadi, CN Ashwath Narayan and Govind Karjol, representing the Lingayat, Vokkaliga and SC communities as the party assumed the community voters would back the party in elections. Yediyurappa's successor Basavaraj Bommai, however, did not have a Deputy CM.