Who Gets No. 2 Spot? Top Leaders In Contention For DK Shivakumar's Deputy

The matter about who would be Karnataka chief minister has been settled. But another equally key decision on appointment or appointments is pending for the Congress high command. That is the question of how many deputy chief ministers Karnataka would have and who would they be?

Some names are doing the rounds. The frontrunner is said to be senior leader G Parameshwara, who belongs to the Scheduled Castes category.

The Congress leadership is understood to have deliberated upon having at least two-three deputy chief ministers. Whether it would be like how DK Shivakumar was i.e. deputy chief minister as well as the state's party chief, is yet to be confirmed.

The Congress may want to separate the functions of a deputy chief minister and a party chief for the state since elections are due in two years.

Other probables for Karnataka deputy chief minister include Satish Jarkiholi, UT Khader, Priyank Kharge, MB Patil and Eshwar Khandre. There is speculation the Congress high command may consider accommodating Siddaramaiah's son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, in a key role.

The high command is said to be weighing whether the state Congress chief should devote full attention to organisational work, particularly with the state heading into assembly elections in just two years.

Senior leaders believe that combining government and party responsibilities could limit the president's ability to focus on strengthening the organisation and preparing for the next electoral battle.

While Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar flew back to Bengaluru after multiple meetings with the Congress leadership in Delhi, MLAs continued to flock to the national capital to make their case for inclusion in the cabinet.

In any case, intense lobbying is going on within the Congress for the post of deputy chief minister.

The party leadership may even be looking into the possibility of not creating any deputy chief minister posts, given the intense competition and competing claims from various communities and factions, news agency IANS reported.