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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar were summoned by the Congress leadership in New Delhi amid growing buzz over a possible leadership change in the state.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah with his deputy DK Shivakumar in Delhi. (PTI)
The Congress high command on Tuesday put an end to speculation over a leadership change in Karnataka after a high-stakes meeting between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in Delhi, saying the discussions only focused on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were summoned in the national capital by the party leadership for a crucial meeting amid growing buzz over a possible leadership change in Karnataka. The high-level meeting was held at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, attended by the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala and senior MP KC Venugopal.
After the conclusion of the meeting, KC Venugopal – in the presence of both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar – told reporters that the discussions were only about the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections on June 18.
“We had a detailed meeting with Congress President Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi. Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar, and I were also part of the discussions. The entire discussion was entirely concentrated on the coming Rajya Sabha elections and the Legislative Council elections in Karnataka. Whatever you people speculated was merely speculation. There is no reality in it at all,” he said.
Venugopal’s statements meant that status quo would likely be maintained in Karnataka, signalling the Congress’s focus on winning the Rajya Sabha elections.
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Karnataka Leadership Tussle
The familiar power tussle between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar has once again returned to the centre of Karnataka politics after both leaders landed separately in New Delhi on Monday evening for the crucial meeting with the party high command.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister’s post after the declaration of Assembly election results, and there were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a “rotational chief minister formula,” where Siddaramaiah would be CM for 2.5 years, while Shivakumar would take the role in the latter half.
Despite supporters of both camps putting pressure on the leadership to make a decision and end the confusion, the Congress has so far avoided addressing the issue publicly. The continued infighting within the Congress was seen as one of the key factors behind the party managing to win only 9 of Karnataka’s 28 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 elections.
The Delhi meeting triggered intense speculation, even as some Congress leaders attempted to downplay signs of factionalism. With the 2028 elections approaching, the Congress leadership is under pressure to find a formula that keeps both factions united while avoiding further political instability in Karnataka.
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