<p> A tussle has broken out among senior and junior leaders in the Karnataka Congress for the coveted post of the state unit president.</p>.<p>A delegation of members of Parliament from Karnataka have sought a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi to brief him about the need to appoint a “senior” leader as the state unit president.</p>.<p>Seven-term MP and former union minister K H Muniyappa has thrown his hat in the ring for the post of the KPCC president amid reports that Dinesh Gundu Rao has emerged as the frontrunner for the coveted post.</p>.<p>A section of seniors argue that a seasoned leader should be appointed as the KPCC chief as he would have to deal with former prime minister and JD(U) supremo H D Deve Gowda as well as well-entrenched veterans within the party.</p>.<p>“I want to ensure that the Congress performs well in the Lok Sabha elections in the state and wish to see Rahul Gandhi become prime minister. I am ready to become the KPCC president, if the Congress president desires so,” Muniyappa told a group of reporters here.</p>.<p>Muniyappa belongs to the Left group among the Dalits, a community whose leader has never become a KPCC president or a Cabinet minister at the Centre.</p>.<p>At a meeting of Karnataka MPs convened by Parameshwara on Sunday last, senior leader<br />B K Hariprasad is understood to have suggested Muniyappa’s name for the KPCC president’s post.</p>.<p>Though Mallikarjun Kharge and G Parameshwara have held the KPCC president’s post, they belong to the Right group among Dalits which is well represented in the party as well as the government, a senior leader claimed.</p>.<p>A section of seniors are also upset at the central leadership giving in to counsel of young leaders such as Gundu Rao and Krishna Byre Gowda in resolving the intra-party differences that had arisen over the denial of ministerial berth to Lingayat leader M B Patil.</p>
<p> A tussle has broken out among senior and junior leaders in the Karnataka Congress for the coveted post of the state unit president.</p>.<p>A delegation of members of Parliament from Karnataka have sought a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi to brief him about the need to appoint a “senior” leader as the state unit president.</p>.<p>Seven-term MP and former union minister K H Muniyappa has thrown his hat in the ring for the post of the KPCC president amid reports that Dinesh Gundu Rao has emerged as the frontrunner for the coveted post.</p>.<p>A section of seniors argue that a seasoned leader should be appointed as the KPCC chief as he would have to deal with former prime minister and JD(U) supremo H D Deve Gowda as well as well-entrenched veterans within the party.</p>.<p>“I want to ensure that the Congress performs well in the Lok Sabha elections in the state and wish to see Rahul Gandhi become prime minister. I am ready to become the KPCC president, if the Congress president desires so,” Muniyappa told a group of reporters here.</p>.<p>Muniyappa belongs to the Left group among the Dalits, a community whose leader has never become a KPCC president or a Cabinet minister at the Centre.</p>.<p>At a meeting of Karnataka MPs convened by Parameshwara on Sunday last, senior leader<br />B K Hariprasad is understood to have suggested Muniyappa’s name for the KPCC president’s post.</p>.<p>Though Mallikarjun Kharge and G Parameshwara have held the KPCC president’s post, they belong to the Right group among Dalits which is well represented in the party as well as the government, a senior leader claimed.</p>.<p>A section of seniors are also upset at the central leadership giving in to counsel of young leaders such as Gundu Rao and Krishna Byre Gowda in resolving the intra-party differences that had arisen over the denial of ministerial berth to Lingayat leader M B Patil.</p>