BENGALURU: In a challenge for the Congress high command in Karnataka, the party's legislators from Veerashaiva-Lingayat, Muslim and Dalit communities are demanding posts of deputy CMs, arguing that the party would not have secured such a huge majority without the support of their communities.
While individual legislators are staking claim for the second highest post in the government, their respective religious and social organisations too are lobbying hard for them.
Congress has 34 Veerashaiva-Lingayat MLAs. The party's campaign committee chairman MB Patil and former minister Eshwar Khandre are the main contenders for the deputy CM's post.
Besides pontiffs of several Lingayat mutts, the Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha has written to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to "reward" the community with a "top post". "In fact, our demand is to reserve the chief minister's post for Veerashiva-Lingayats since MLAs from our community form the largest chunk in Congress," said Renuka Prasanna, national secretary of the Mahasabha. "We await the party leadership's response."