Merely days after the appointment as the BMTC chairman, Nikethraj Maurya was abruptly removed from the post.
Published Sep 30, 2025 | 12:41 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 30, 2025 | 12:41 PM
Karnataka Congress leaders at a meeting on Wednesday, 10 January 2024. (siddaramaiah/X)
Synopsis: The internal dissent within the Karnataka Congress came to the fore following the fresh appointments to the state’s boards and corporations. Changes have been made just days after the appointment. The switch-up, to prioritise appointments of loyalists, comes after a string of high-profile resignations and sidelining of Siddaramaiah’s loyalists over the past few months.
Internal turmoil within the Congress in Karnataka came to the fore once again, this time over appointments to the state’s boards and corporations. While the Congress high command floated a list with 39 finalised nominees last week, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah decided to axe seven names and add two of his loyalists.
Nikethraj Maurya was appointed as the chairperson of Bengaluru Transport Metropolitan Corporation (BMTC), and HD Ganesh as the chairperson of Mysuru Paints and Varnish Limited on 26 September. These two were earlier left out of the high command’s list of appointments.
However, the reshuffle was short-lived. Merely days after these appointments, on Monday, 29 September, Maurya was abruptly removed from the post of chairman. Siddaramaiah loyalist and Congress veteran VS Aradhya was appointed to the post, while Maurya was demoted to the post of vice-chairman of the transport body.
The switch-up, to prioritise appointments of loyalists, comes after a string of high-profile resignations and sidelining of Siddaramaiah’s loyalists over the past few months. KN Rajanna, LK Atheeq, and Govindaraj, who are often seen as part of Siddaramaiah’s core circle, have either resigned of their own choice or been dropped from key positions.
When Maurya took over as the chairman of BMTC, congratulations poured in on his social media platforms. The decision seemed final, until it was not.
Aradhya, a senior Congress leader, has also had a long history with the party’s student body, National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). He is also the Vice-President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).
On the other hand, Maurya is relatively junior in stature and has served as the spokesperson of KPCC. Allowing Maurya to preside as chairperson would have placed Aradhya, a senior functionary, in a subordinate position. This arrangement is unlikely to be accepted within the party hierarchy.
A similar fight for power and internal dissent was also observed when the name of Afzalpur MLA MY Patil’s son, Arun Patil, was proposed as chairman for Northwest Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), which was being held by MLA Raju Kage.
It may be recalled that Kage, who was left out of the list finalised by the party high command, had earlier publicly criticised the functioning of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s administration.
Speaking to the media in Ainapur village of Belagavi district in June 2025, Kage said that despite ₹25 crore being sanctioned under the chief minister’s special grant for his constituency (Kagwad), there has been minimal progress in implementation. “The system has collapsed completely, and I would not be surprised if I resign in two days,” he declared.
He further claimed that local engineers are sitting idle and contractors are showing zero interest. He also openly backed Aland MLA BR Patil’s allegations of corruption in allotment of houses to beneficiaries under housing schemes, by saying, “What BR Patil said is not false. I fully support him. I, too, am a witness to the deep-rooted dysfunction in the administration.”
However, when the disgruntled MLA met the chief minister to discuss the issue of appointments, the latter clarified that it was only a ‘printing error’ and that Kage would continue as the Chairman of NWKRTC. Arun Patil has been appointed to the Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC).
Meanwhile, those who were dropped from the party high command’s list include: Neelkant Mulge (KKRTC), RS Sathyanarayana (Temperance Board), Syed Mehmood Chisty (Pulses Development Corporation), Anilkumar Jamadar (Tur Dal Development Corporation), BS Kavalagi (Lime Development Board), Anjanappa (Seeds Development Corporation) and Sharanappa Saladpur (Agricultural Produce Processing & Export Board).
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
