Supporters of Home Minister and former Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G. Parameshwara revived the demand for a Dalit Chief Minister in Karnataka by propping up Mr. Parameshwara’s candidature for the post. This comes amid the ongoing leadership tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on December 28, Dalit leader Bilikere Raju said Dalit organisations, along with the support of organisations of various other communities, are planning to hold a convention in Mysuru to mobilise support for Mr. Parameshwara, who is a “deserving” candidate for the post.
Mr. Raju said Dalits had not been given their due recognition in AHINDA, though the grouping comprises minorities, backward classes, and Dalits.
The Dalit leader, who also represents the G. Parameshwara Admirers’ Association, placed a condition to attend the proposed AHINDA convention in Mysuru. “We will attend the convention only if it supports Mr. Parameshwara’s candidature for the Chief Minister’s post,” he said.
Regretting that Dalits had so far been used in the AHINDA movement only to secure power for “somebody else”, Mr. Raju said a Dalit Chief Minister for Karnataka has been due for over 25 years.
He pointed out that Dalits were numerically strong enough to influence the outcome of polls in 150 out of the 223 constituencies in the State. About 80 to 90% of Dalits had voted for the Congress in the last Assembly elections, he said.
Even though there are deserving candidates in the Dalit community for the post of Chief Minister, nobody has occupied the post so far, he lamented.
Without directly blaming anyone for Mr. Parameshwara’s loss in the Assembly elections in 2013, Mr. Raju said “everyone” knows the reasons for his defeat.
A large number of people in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Mandya and even Kanakapura are in favour of Mr. Parameshwara becoming the Chief Minister, he said, while adding that the organisations had started working on the convention as their dream of seeing Mr. Parameshwara as the Chief Minister will not materialise if they do not get into action and conduct such mobilisation exercises.
Published – December 28, 2025 08:19 pm IST
