Dinesh Gundu Rao had been a minister in chief minister Siddaramaiah's cabinet holding the portfolio of food and civil supplies. (File Photo)
The ruling Congress in Karnataka has a new working president in Dinesh Gundu Rao. Mr Rao, the son of former chief minister, the late Gundu Rao, had been a minister in chief minister Siddaramaiah's cabinet holding the portfolio of food and civil supplies. But he had been dropped ahead of Sunday's major reshuffle in the cabinet that saw 14 ministers out and 13 new members sworn-in.
Until now, the post of state party president had been held by Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara - and there had been an issue over one man holding two posts. There had been speculation that Power Minister D K Shivakumar would be the new state president.
The new working president has elections on his mind. Dinesh Gundu Rao told NDTV from New Delhi, "My priority will be to strengthen the party organisation and get it ready for 2018. We need to support the government to see that government programmes are reaching out and to be the bridge between the public and the government."
When asked about the dissatisfaction following the reshuffle from supporters of those who were dropped or not considered for cabinet posts, he said, "After any reshuffle, there will be voices raised. The party leadership has to talk to them. After the initial reaction, things will calm down."
Before the reshuffle, there had been questions about Siddaramaiah himself continuing in his post. But he now seems to have consolidated his position by getting the clearance for the changes. Succeeding in getting three Congress lawmakers sent to the Parliament in the recent Rajya Sabha elections would also have helped his image with his party bosses.