Dinesh Gundu Rao to make way for DK Shivakumar as Karnataka Congress president?

Bengaluru: Are days numbered for Dinesh Gundu Rao as the president of the Karnataka Congress?

Sources said that Dinesh might be asked to put in his papers by the party high command in the wake of drubbing the party received in the Lok Sabha election in May.

Sources added that the Congress trouble-shooter DK Shivakumar could be handed over the reins of the party.

However, when MyNation tried to speak to Dinesh on the issue, he remained incommunicado.

Congress party sources, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the party high command is of the strong opinion that Dinesh is unable to handle the party in the state and take everyone along. They added that there has been a growing chorus in the party rank and file that it should be completely revamped and rebuilt from the grassroots levels.

It should be noted that in the last days of Rahul Gandhi as the previous president of the Congress party, he had met former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah in relation to the party’s humiliating performance.

Siddaramaiah had recommended that the office bearers in the state tender their resignations. However, Dinesh and working president Eshwar Khandre, considered close to Siddaramaiah, had been spared the axe.

The disgruntlement and anguish in the Congress ranks grew exponentially days after the Congress won just one Lok Sabha seat in the form of DK Suresh in the Bengaluru rural constituency.

Several other bigwigs like Veerappa Moily, Mallikarjun Kharge, KH Muniyappa and Ugrapapa faced ignominious defeats. The BJP won 25 seats and Sumalatha, the BJP-backed independent candidate from Mandya also won.

Interestingly, even former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda went on to lose the election.

Immediately after the result, the blame game began. Congress rued the fact that joining hands with the JD(S) was their death-knell.

Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.