Karnataka: Amid the ongoing power tussle in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has firmly rejected speculation about any discussions on a leadership change. He clarified that he has not spoken to senior Congress leaders about the chief ministerial role and insisted he is “not in a hurry.”
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Shivakumar dismissed reports of meetings with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge or Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi during his visit.
“I’m here for a family event. There was no political meeting. And why would such a meeting happen in Mumbai? If needed, it would take place in Bengaluru or Delhi,” he said.
Asked whether he had raised the matter of the Chief Minister’s post with the party high command, he reiterated, “No… I am not in a rush for anything.”
Shivakumar’s remarks come amid growing speculation about a change in the Chief Ministerial face of Karnataka, fueled by the “power-sharing agreement” of 2023 between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, which has been cited frequently in political circles.
Meanwhile, Congress MLC and son of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, on Thursday backed his father, CM Siddaramaiah, for the Chief Ministerial post, saying he is unaware of any “power sharing agreement” between Siddaramaiah and state Deputy CM DK Shivakumar.
Yathindra expressed amazement over the discussion on the leadership change, asserting that “there’s no need to change the CM”. However, he clarified that the high command’s decision on the issue will be final.
“In my opinion, there’s no need to change the CM. Siddaramaiah will remain the full-time CM. I don’t know why the issue of leadership change is being discussed repeatedly. I don’t know if there was any discussion on power sharing before…the high command’s decision is final,” he said to the reporters.
“No one told me about power sharing. This isn’t the first time MLAs have gone to Delhi to lobby. This has happened before in different parties. We stand by the high command’s words. There’s no need for change. There shouldn’t have been any unnecessary changes. I personally say that Siddaramaiah will remain the CM for five years. The high command will review everything and decide what’s best,” he added.
A day earlier, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said that he and Chief Minister Siddaramiah will travel to Delhi if the party’s leadership asks them to do so.
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply