KPCC President race heats up: Karnataka in-charge K C Venugopal to visit Bengaluru

The newly appointed in-charge general secretary of the Congress, K C Venugopal will arrive in Bengaluru on Monday. The senior leader of the Congress in his maiden visit to Bengaluru after being appointed the in-charge general secretary will spend three days holding talks with leaders. The change in leadership of the state Congress is likely after his return to Delhi.

K C Venugopal is expected to meet district secretaries, office bearers and key leaders from across the state during his three-day visit. Venugopal who met Rahul Gandhi earlier this week has been assigned the task of understanding ground realities and the mood of party workers. The biggest task that has been cut out for K C Venugopal immediately is to propose a name for the state Congress president's post.

While the bypoll win from Gundlupet and Nanjangud brought some sense of peace within the Congress, workers continue to be disappointed over leadership. Despite the calm that is prevailing in the Congress, the leadership crisis is very real and ongoing.



While the likes of D K Shivakumar, S R Patil, M B Patil and current president Dr G Parameshwara are in the race for the post, K C Venugopal is to suggest one final name to the high command.

Leaders and their supporters are already making a beeline to meet the newly appointed in-charge general secretary to push for names of their preference. So much so, that some leaders have planned to fly to Delhi with Venugopal on his return or meet with him soon after he completes his Bengaluru visit.

Senior leaders of the Congress in Karnataka have been asked to suggest names and pros and cons of appointing them. With assembly elections less than a year away, the Congress is looking to appoint a leader who will be accepted en masse and is in a position to consolidate not just party workers but votes as well. While caste is a major component in selecting the party president, mass appeal is another. During his three-day visit to Karnataka, K C Venugopal is expected to give the high command a ground report.