New Delhi, (DHNS): The Congress high command is keen on appointing a Lingayat leader as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president.

Water Resources Minister M B Patil, who was on the top of the list prepared by the party for appointment as KPCC chief, has communicated to the top brass that he is willing to take up the responsibility if he is allowed to continue as minister, sources in the party told DH.

Patil, who met both the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi twice recently, expressed his willingness to hold both the posts. He cited previous examples of the late Veerendra Patil and S M Krishna, both of whom served as chief minister apart from holding the post of KPCC president. Patil is learnt to have said that incumbent president G Parameshwara was also serving as Home Minister.

The Congress high command wants that those who hold the KPCC president post should not be a minister as it considers this would hamper organisational works. Earlier, when the party made Dinesh Gundu Rao as working president of the state unit, he had to quit as a minister on the advice of the party.

Patil also met newly-appointed AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal and the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge here and is learnt to have expressed his eagerness to continue as minister even if he is made the KPCC chief.

Though Chief Minister Siddaramaiah suggested appointing senior leader S R Patil, also a Lingayat from north Karnataka, the party top brass is keen on M B Patil considering he is has more “appeal” among the Lingayats, sources said.

Earlier, when the party top brass asked Energy Minister D K Shivakumar to take over the responsibility, he too wanted to continue as minister even if he is appointed KPCC president. Shivakumar also met Venugopal two days ago in the national capital to lobby for the post. A couple of Congress leaders from Karnataka led by Bengaluru Mayor G Padmavati met Venugopal and demanded that Shivakumar be made the KPCC chief.

However, now Rahul is keen on having only a Lingayat leader to counter the BJP, which appointed B S Yeddyurappa as sate party chief eyeing the Lingayat vote bank, a senior leader said.

The party top brass also asked Venugopal, who will be visiting Bengaluru early next week, to seek the opinion of state leaders on appointing new the PCC president and submit a report. Based on his report, the party high command is likely to take a final decision at the earliest, a senior leader said.