Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has reportedly expressed his disappointment to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over missing out on the chief
minister's post for a second time and has also sought a change of portfolio from the Home Department, sources told Times Now. The sources said that Parameshwara recently met Kharge and conveyed his unhappiness over being overlooked for the top post. The veteran Dalit leader is also understood to have requested a different ministerial portfolio, indicating his dissatisfaction with his current role as Home Minister. Parameshwara, a prominent Dalit face in the Congress, has never hidden his chief ministerial ambitions. Last year, he publicly stated that he had "never been out of the race" for the top post, while several leaders from the Scheduled Caste community argued that the party should consider a Dalit chief minister if a leadership change were to take place. His move comes just days after DK Shivakumar replaced Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister under Congress' 2.5-year 'rotational CM' policy. This followed months of intense speculation, factional lobbying and negotiations involving the party's central leadership. The final decision was reportedly taken after a series of consultations in New Delhi with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Rahul Gandhi is understood to have held discussions with both leaders before the high command concluded that a leadership transition was necessary ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. Siddaramaiah later revealed that the party leadership had directed him to step down, a decision he said he accepted in the interest of the organisation. Siddaramaiah submitted his resignation on May 28, paving the way for Shivakumar to be CM. The change of guard marked the end of a prolonged power tussle within the Karnataka Congress. However, Parameshwara's reported dissatisfaction is another sign that all may still not be well within the party. There has been no official comment from either Parameshwara or the Congress high command on the matter.
