The All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Wednesday appointed veteran Congress leader PK Hariprasad as the new president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), replacing DK Shivakumar, who resigned from the organizational post after taking oath as chief minister of the state.
“Congress President PK Hariprasad has appointed Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Chairman, with immediate effect,” the statement issued by AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal said.
Hariprasad’s appointment comes soon after the Congress nominated four candidates, including himself, for the June 18 biennial elections to fill seven vacant seats in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
Ahead of the official announcement, Hariprasad’s name had emerged as the front-runner during intra-party consultations. Senior Congress leaders discussed his nomination while the party was weighing options for the post, leaders familiar with the matter indicated.
Hariprasad publicly supported the new government while attending Shivakumar’s swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday. “The entire Congress team will work with him for the development of the state,” Hariprasad said.
The name of newly sworn-in minister Satish Jarkiholi also figured in the discussions over the KPC post. “Satish Jarkiholi’s name was very much in the discussion. But there is a feeling that organizing the party requires someone who can devote his attention almost entirely to party activities and coordination across the state,” said a senior Congress leader familiar with the deliberations.
Hariprasad (72) is currently serving in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, and his term is set to end later this month. Over his political career spanning several decades, he represented the Congress in the Rajya Sabha and held a range of responsibilities within the AICC.
He was also the United Opposition candidate for the post of Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha but lost the election to NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh.
In 1999, Hariprasad contested the Lok Sabha elections from Bengaluru South but was defeated by BJP leader and former Union minister Ananth Kumar.
