Leadership tussle leads to leadership vacuum in Karnataka…list of vacancies gets longer

After the logjam in Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), Apex Bank seems to have become the latest casualty in the leadership tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

The election to the post of chairman of Apex Bank, scheduled for Thursday, has been indefinitely postponed after former chairman Belli Prakash, a former BJP legislator from Kadur, withdrew his nomination at the behest of the Chief Minister. The five-year tenure of Mr. Prakash ended in December 2025. Sharanagouda Bayyapur had filed nominations for the post of vice-chairman.

IAS officer S. Ziaullah has been posted as the bank’s administrator now.

‘Always unanimous’

Confirming to The Hindu that he had withdrawn his nomination forcing the postponement of elections, Mr. Prakash said that he had done so “in the interest of the financial institution”. “I did not want to politicise the issue and hence withdrew my nomination. Also, election to chairman’s post has always been unanimous,” he said.

Within the Congress, the leaders are undecided about the candidate for the chairman’s post as the other two contenders are former Minister K.N. Rajanna, backed by the Chief Minister, and MLC S. Ravi, a relative of the Deputy Chief Minister. Congress sources said that though meetings have been held multiple times to address the issue, the candidate could not be finalised. Incidentally, the Co-operation portfolio is held by the Chief Minister after Mr. Rajanna stepped down from the post.

“The matter has even reached the Congress central leaders, and AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala has spoken to the Chief Minister,” sources added.

Apex Bank sources said that Mr. Prakash withdrew after speaking to the Chief Minister since remaining in the fray would have made him elected unopposed. “The Congress is yet to make up its mind on the candidate, and since the legislature session is under way, the decision has been delayed,” said the source.

Of the 21 district cooperative banks that send director-representatives to the Apex Bank, 18 were eligible to vote on Thursday. While election has not been held in Bagalkot DCC bank due to court cases, the Kolar DCC bank election has been held but has reached the court. The Mysuru DCC bank representatives were nominated after the electoral roll was drawn and hence became ineligible, sources said.

Earlier tussle

The political tug of war between the two leaders had earlier played out in election to the post of Chairman of KMF. While D.K. Suresh, brother of the Deputy Chief Minister and now the Bengaluru Milk Union Ltd. president, was in the race to head the milk cooperative behemoth, the Chief Minister is learnt to have pushed for Congress legislator from Koppal K. Raghavendra Hitnal. The KMF Chairman’s post is still lying vacant.