Dinesh Gundu Rao named new Karnataka Congress chief

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," added 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.

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.

The move comes at a very important time for the Congress party, who have been struggling to retain hold of their position in the southern state. Despite the coalition with the JD(S), the Congress is still a majority in the government, and increasing dissent at the way H.D. Kumaraswamy is running the state has left fissures in the coalition. Former CM Siddaramiah was earlier seen criticising the incumbent CM for his pro-farmer policies, indicating that the party is indeed unhappy with the way the JD(S) is running things.

The Congress also lost two of its most experienced members in Gujarat yesterday, when Kunwarji Bawalia resigned shortly after Indranil Rajyaguru. WHile Rajyaguru has not hinted at his political future, Bawalia was seen meeting with senior members of the Gujarat BJP.