Mysuru: R Murthy has been appointed president of the Mysuru City Congress Committee for a record third term, while former ZP member Beerihundi Basavanna has been named president of the Mysuru District Congress Committee. Both are considered loyalists of former chief minister Siddaramaiah.Around 42 leaders were in the fray for the city chief post, while about a dozen aspirants, including former chief BJ Vijaykumar, sought the district post. The appointments indicate an attempt to balance leadership representation while introducing key changes.Murthy spearheaded construction of the Indira Gandhi Congress Bhavana near the City Railway Station during his previous tenure as Congress chief in the last decade. The building is expected to be completed within a year.Basavanna, a Kuruba leader, is known as a staunch loyalist of Siddaramaiah. His elevation is being viewed as a signal of Siddaramaiah’s influence in party affairs in the region. Vijaykumar, who has been replaced, belongs to the Vokkaliga community.The reshuffle is part of a broader reorganisation of district leadership across Karnataka, with community equations playing a visible role in the appointments.In Chamarajanagar district, Congress has appointed OBC leader J Yogesh as district chief. A former ZP vice-president, Yogesh belongs to the Uppara community, considered politically significant in the region. Party leaders expect his appointment to help consolidate support among OBC voters.In Kodagu district, the party has appointed Dharmaja Uthappa from the Kodava community as district president.In Shivamogga, HC Yogesh, a Lingayat and son of former MLA HC Chandrashekarappa, has been named district president. His appointment comes despite reportedly more than 25 aspirants for the post, including former minister Kimmane Ratnakar and former MP Ayanur Manjunath, underscoring the competitive internal dynamics behind the selection process.Congress has appointed HP Manjegowda, president of the Chikkamagaluru Block Congress, as the new president of the Chikkamagaluru District Congress Committee (DCC), while prominent Arasikere leader GB Shashidhar has been named president of the Hassan DCC.A resident of Beekanahalli village in Chikkamagaluru taluk, Manjegowda belongs to the Kuruba community and has been active in the Congress for the past 40 years. He played a key role in fielding Lingayat leader HD Thammaiah against BJP’s CT Ravi in the last assembly elections, a move that worked in the Congress’ favour.Shashidhar, son of senior political leader late GS Basavaraju, is an educationist and a graduate of Malnad College of Engineering (MCE). In the 2018 assembly elections, he contested from Arsikere against the JD(S) and polled more than 50,000 votes, helping expand the Congress base.Upset after being denied a ticket in the 2023 assembly elections, the Lingayat leader had distanced himself from party activities. However, he worked for the victory of Shreyas Patel in the Lok Sabha polls.The appointments follow a selection process in which AICC and KPCC observers visited districts, held block-level consultations with party workers and shortlisted candidates in sealed envelopes.
