As the power tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D.K. Shivakumar intensified in Karnataka, the Congress high command is expected to convene a meeting soon to resolve the issue amicably.
Talking to reporters in Bengaluru on Thursday, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said a collective decision would be made after a meeting in which both leaders would be present.
"I will call everyone and have a discussion. Rahul Gandhi and other members will be present at the meeting. Both the chief minister and the Deputy CM will also be present. The decision will be made after a discussion with all of these,” he said.
“There is a team. I am not alone. The entire high command team will discuss and make a decision," Kharge added.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah held a meeting with senior ministers and leaders considered close to him, including Home Minister G. Parameshwara, Satish Jarkiholi, H.C. Mahdevappa, K. Venkatesh and K.N. Rajanna at his residence.
Shivakumar, who is locked in a power tussle with the chief minister, claimed on Wednesday that the party is united and its focus is on the upcoming elections.
"Our goal is to win Karnataka in 2028 and to win at the national level in 2029, and to make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister. We will work towards this goal,” he said.
However, hours later, Shivakumar sent a cryptic message to Siddaramaiah and the party leadership, saying that keeping a promise is a big power move.
"There is a saying that word power is world power, which means that for us to keep our promise is one of the biggest powers in the world,” he said.
The buzz over leadership change intensified after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year tenure on November 20. Reports pointed to a purported "power-sharing" agreement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023, as per which the latter would be made the CM after two and a half years.
However, there seem to be more contenders to the top post, with Parameshwara recently suggesting that he is also in the race.
Senior MLA and former minister K.N. Rajanna said that though he backed Siddaramaiah to continue, Parameshwara could be the second option.
Jarkiholi, the Public Works Minister, has come out in support of Siddaramaiah, saying he has asked the high command to clear the air at the earliest on the issue of leadership.
"We (Congress) will require CM Siddaramaiah's leadership, his service and guidance even after he retires from active politics,” he said on Wednesday.
