Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Jun 2: As Dakshina Kannada district Congress Committee president Harish Kumar has been selected as MLC candidate for the upcoming state Legislative Council, discussions have begun within the party circles about who will succeed him as head of district Congress.
Election to 11 members of legislative council, which have fallen vacant, is being held shortly. As legislators are eligible to vote, BJP is set to get five seats, Congress four and JD(S) two. President of Dakshina Kannada district Congress Committee, Harish Kumar, has been nominated by the Congress party and he is sure to get elected. Therefore, people are curious to know whether Harish will continue in that post or whether someone else will take over the mantle from him.
Ramanath Rai and Shashidhar Hegde - File photo
There is example of B Ramanath Rai having discharged duty as minister and MLA apart from being president of Dakshina Kannada district Congress Committee. There are some others who argue that the party might choose another person to discharge duty as district president of the party to affectively lead the party during the next year's Lok Sabha election.
If caste calculations are given importance in the light of next year's Lok Sabha election, there is every chance of changing the district president of the party, sources say. As Harish, who will get the post of the MLC, belongs to the Billava community, the post of the president might be given to a person from Bunt community, political analysts say. If this happens, Ramanath Rai has bright chance of resuming charge as the district president of the party, as he is a leader of eminence and unexpectedly was defeated in the recent assembly election. Having provided leadership to district Congress for a decade, he is most experienced and respected leader from the district.
However, Rai said that there is no such proposal and that Harish Kumar will continue in that position. If Rai shows indifference to accept the post, the rumour mills say there is chance for other leaders of the party like former city mayor, Shashidhar Hegde, to bag this post.