Bengaluru: Balancing caste equations and not to antagonise any community ahead of the Assembly elections in 2018, the Congress High Command has decided to continue Dr. G. Parameshwara as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President. But Dr. Parameshwara will resign as Home Minister to devote his full time and energy to the party, the Congress announced yesterday.

Sixty-six-year-old Parameshwara, a Dalit leader, has been KPCC President since October 2010. Senior leader and Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar has been appointed as Chairman of the Campaign Committee for the Assembly polls. The Congress has also said in a release that they would fight the Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddharamaiah.

The decision was taken by Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, according to a statement issued by General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi.

Former Minister and Lingayat strongman S.R. Patil had been appointed KPCC Working President, in addition to Dinesh Gundu Rao, who holds a similar post. While Patil will look after party affairs in North Karnataka, Gundu Rao will be in-charge of the southern districts. Power Minister D.K. Shivakumar, top contender for the KPCC President’s post, was named Chairman of the election Campaign Committee.

Former Union Minister K.H. Muniyappa, who had been lobbying for the post of KPCC President, has been made special invitee to the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party. Former Minister Satish Jarakiholi, who had threatened to quit the party following differences with his half brother and Small Scale Industries Minister Ramesh Jarakiholi, was appointed AICC Secretary.

The AICC took the decision following a five-day hectic consultation with Ministers, Legislators, DCC Presidents, and former Ministers and AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, K.C. Venugopal, last week.

With these appointments, the party High Command intends to send out a message that the interests of all communities had been accommodated as the party prepares for the elections, due in March-April next year. The High Command does not want to rock the boat, and wants all party workers to focus on winning the elections, sources said.