Bengaluru: The call for appointing additional deputy chief ministers has resurfaced post-Lok Sabha elections, causing rifts within Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet. Currently, Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar holds the sole deputy chief minister position. The push for more deputies is largely perceived as an effort to balance Shivakumar’s influence.
Following Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna’s suggestion to appoint deputies from various communities, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge quipped on Monday, “Let there be one CM and the rest of the Cabinet members be declared DCMs.”
This demand emerged before the Lok Sabha elections, with Rajanna and Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi advocating for deputy CMs from Veerashaiva-Lingayat, SC/ST, and minority communities to bolster Congress’s voter base. However, Priyank, also a government spokesperson, opposed the notion that community-based DCM positions would benefit the party.
“If appointing DCMs could woo communities, then everyone would use this strategy,” Priyank stated, though he acknowledged the validity of the demand for more DCMs. “Will the media make it happen? This demand should be directed to the high command,” he said, highlighting the need for ministers to reflect on their performance and empowerment of party workers following the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Excise Minister R B Timmapur also supported the idea of additional deputy CMs. When asked if he was a candidate for the role, he responded, “Who will say no? Everybody is capable.”
Shivakumar reportedly opposes the appointment of more deputies, aligning with the Congress high command’s stance that he remains the sole deputy CM. “The high command will decide on this,” Shivakumar commented on Monday.
His brother, D K Suresh, remarked that if the aim is to placate communities, there could be more than three deputy CMs, potentially even five or eight.