With Assembly elections nearing in Karnataka, the race for the post of Chief Minister has intensified in the Congress which is confident of coming to power after the polls.

Even as there is a straight fight between Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar and leader of opposition Siddaramaiah for the top post, other leaders are also fancying their chances.

G. Parameshwara, senior Dalit leader of the Congress who had missed out on becoming the Chief Minister when Siddaramaiah was picked for the job after the 2013 Assembly elections, said on Thursday that he is very much in the race for the top post.

Parameshwara had suffered a humiliating defeat at his home turf Koratagere in the 2013 Assembly polls, paving the way for Siddaramaiah. Many party insiders had said that it was Siddaramaiah who had orchestrated Parameshewar’s defeat at the hands of P.R. Sudhakara Lalin of the JD(S) to make clear his way for the CM’s post.

“There are 10 aspirants for the post of Chief Minister after Congress wins the upcoming Assembly elections. I am one of them,” Parameshwara told mediapersons here.

“In our party, Chief Ministers are not picked on the basis of caste. There is no concept like Dalit Chief Minister in the party. Whoever is efficient will get the job. Everyone has a desire to become the Chief Minister,” he said.

Earlier, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi had said that both Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara are indispensable leaders for the party, adding that the MLAs will elect the Chief Minister after the elections.

The Congress has claimed that as per an internal survey, the party will achieve comfortable majority in the upcoming Assembly elections. The party is also attacking the BJP for ‘having no CM face’ when compared to the Congress.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)