Bengaluru, July 4 (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday appointed Bengaluru MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao as President of the party's Karnataka unit.
Congress General Secretary Ashok Gehlot announced the appointment of Gundu Rao as well as Bidar legislator Eshwar Khandre as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee's Working President -- a post earlier held by Gundu Rao.
"The party appreciates the hard work by outgoing KPCC President G. Parameshwara who led the party for the last eight years and is stepping down from the responsibility," said Gehlot.
Gundu Rao, 48, is a fourth-time MLA from Gandhinagar assembly constituency in Bengaluru central and second son of former Congress Chief Minister R. Gundu Rao. He was a Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister in the previous Siddaramaiah government.
"This (post) is a huge responsibility. I am humbled and happy about the appointment and I believe that I can discharge my duties as the state Congress chief," Gundu Rao told reporters in Sringeri.
Gundu Rao visited Sringeri in the state's Chikkamagaluru district, about 250 km from here, to seek blessings from the head of Sringeri Mutt.
Khandre, the former Municipalities and Local Bodies Minister, is a lawmaker from Bhalki assembly segment in Bidar.
Parameshwara is the Deputy Chief Minister in the Janata Dal-Secular-Congress coalition government in the state.
Reacting to Gundu Rao's appointment as the new state unit chief, Parameshwara tweeted: "Humble gratitude to Rahul Gandhi and all the leaders for giving me the opportunity to serve as KPCC President. It has been an honour and privilege to serve the party for eight years."
"...I am confident you (Gundu Rao and Khandre) will lead the party ably and take it to newer heights," he added.
With Parameshwara handling the cabinet portfolios of Home, Bengaluru City Development and Youth Empowerment and Sports, handling the party President post as well would be difficult, KPCC Vice-President B.K. Chandrashekar said.
"Parameshwara has very heavy portfolios and it will be difficult for him to pay attention to the party matters as well, especially with the Lok Sabha elections in 2019," Chandrashekar told IANS here.
Despite Gundu Rao's popularity within the party, his appointment as the state unit chief less than a year before the Lok Sabha polls gives him very little time to prepare, he added.
"We (Congress) have lost the state election (on May 12) and are in a coalition government. With less than a year left for the Lok Sabha polls, he could have done well with more time of at least two to three years," Chandrashekar said.
The most important "burden" that Congress has is to develop a strategy for the ensuing general election to counter the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he added.
