The race for the post of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief ended with the Congress high command appointing incumbent KPCC president G. Parameshwara for another term, ahead of the crucial assembly polls in May 2018.
The party leadership, however, categorically stated that the party would go to polls under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The decision comes after long deliberations by All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi with senior state leaders, including Siddaramaiah, over the last few days in Delhi.
However, Parameshwara, who is currently the home minister, has been asked to resign from the state cabinet "to devote his full time and energy" to discharge the responsibility as the party president.
Meanwhile, prominent leaders, who were in the race for the top post in the party, have been assigned new responsibilities.
According to a press release issued by AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi on Wednesday, former IT-BT minister and lingayat leader S.R. Patil, whose name was proposed for the KPCC chief's post by Siddaramaiah, has been appointed as a working president to handle the party affairs in North Karnataka region. Dinesh Gundu Rao, the present working president, will continue to hold the post and will focus on South Karnataka.
A front-runner for the post and vokkaliga strongman D.K. Shivakumar, who holds the energy portfolio in the state cabinet, will be heading the Campaign Committee, while former union minister and Kolar MP K.H. Muniyappa has been appointed as a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee.
Former excise minister Satish Jarkiholi has been appointed AICC secretary.
The rejig in the state unit is a strategy to balance the caste equation as the election nears.
Parameshwara, who belongs to dalit community, has been holding the post since October 2010. The overwhelming support of dalits and lingayats for the Congress party in the recent bypolls too played a role in appointing S.R. Patil and Muniyappa to crucial posts.
