Siddaramaiah urges Congress high command to end Karnataka CM change speculation

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said the Congress high command must end speculation over a leadership change. Legislators are free to meet party leaders, while Siddaramaiah affirmed he will abide by the high command’s decision on the CM post and cabinet reshuffle

Bengaluru: As the power tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka refuses to die down, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the party high command should ultimately decide to put a full stop to this confusion.

Reiterating that he will abide by the high command’s decision on the issue of CM change, he said legislators are free to meet the party leadership and share their opinion.

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The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified, amid speculation about the Chief Minister in the State, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, citing an alleged “power-sharing” agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in 2023.

Responding to a question about a team of legislators backing Shivakumar travelling to Delhi, Siddaramaiah said, “Let them (legislators) go, MLAs have freedom. Let’s see what opinion they give. Ultimately, the high command has to make the decision. We will abide by what the high command says.”

Asked about a section of legislators appealing to the high command to put the matter to rest, he said, “Whatever they (legislators) want to say, let them say to the high command. Ultimately, to put a full stop to this confusion, the high command has to make the decision.”

A batch of six Congress legislators backing Sivakumar had traveled to New Delhi on November 23 to meet the high command leaders, party sources said on Monday, adding that a few more legislators are likely to travel soon to pitch for Shivakumar as CM.

Last week, some legislators, about ten of them, supporting Shivakumar, had travelled to Delhi and met Kharge. To a question on the Cabinet reshuffle, the CM said, “It will happen when the high command says.” He also said that he has no plans to meet Congress’s top leader, Rahul Gandhi, for now.

Meanwhile, Shivakumar, who had not met AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge when the latter was in the city for the past few days, however, accompanied him to the airport on Tuesday as he left for the national capital.

Siddaramaiah on Saturday held a more than an hour-long meeting with Kharge at his residence in Bengaluru, amid the ongoing leadership tussle in the party. While Siddaramaiah is pushing for a reshuffle of his Cabinet, Shivakumar wants the party to first decide on a leadership change, party sources said.

According to several party insiders, if the Congress high command approves the cabinet reshuffle, it would signal that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will complete the full five-year term, which will scuttle the chances of Shivakumar from occupying the coveted post.