DK Shivakumar seeks his pound of flesh, Congress not paying attention

After all his efforts to keep the Congress and JD(S) MLAs together in the dramatic turn of events in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly trust vote, it is likely that the Congress party might not cede to the demands of party strongman DK Shivakumar. The leader has made it known that apart from retaining the cushy energy portfolio, he be made the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president. From what it appears, it is unlikely that any of these two demands will be met.

Party insiders said the leader had earlier spoken of being made the deputy chief minister, too, but that demand, too, was not paid heed to. The party was not keen to have a Vokkaliga Deputy CM when the CM, too, belongs to the same caste. KPCC chief G Parameshwara will be made the Deputy CM instead.

Anticipating this, the strongman had put in the demand of being made the president of the KPCC, and also being given the energy portfolio; he has been the energy minister in the last government. However, party insiders said that the leader is unlikely to get the portfolio either.

With Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi landing in Bengaluru before the swearing-in on Thursday, party leaders said that the portfolios will be decided only after that. It is also likely that no portfolio will be announced before the trust vote, so as not to initiate any sort of upset within the ranks of both the parties.

A party insider, not willing to be named, said that it is important that the party keeps DK Shivakumar in good humour, with the BJP looking keenly to break the ranks of the combine at any given time.