Bengaluru, Jul 11 (PTI) Ministers of the Congress government in Karnataka on Friday said that discussions around an unconfirmed talk of power-sharing agreement and a potential leadership change had lost relevance after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made it clear he would serve his full five-year term.
Rumours had persisted since the Congress came to power in May 2023 that a power-sharing deal existed between Siddaramaiah and his deputy, D K Shivakumar.
According to the purported agreement—which the Congress neither confirmed nor denied—Siddaramaiah was to serve the first two-and-a-half years, after which Shivakumar would take over as Chief Minister.
However, on Thursday, Siddaramaiah firmly asserted that he would complete the full term and that the Chief Minister’s post was "not vacant."
State Home Minister G Parameshwara said the confusion could have been avoided if the party’s general secretaries had addressed the issue earlier.
"We don’t know anything about a power-sharing agreement. It never came to our level. If this issue had been raised with us or brought up during a Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting—which our general secretaries also attend frequently—this confusion might not have arisen," Parameshwara told reporters here.
Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi echoed similar sentiments. There’s no point in discussing power-sharing now, especially when both Shivakumar and his brother, former MP D K Suresh, have said the post is not vacant, he said.
"If you (journalists) want to start that discussion on who should be the next Chief Minister, you can do. We will not stop you. It’s closed (chapter) at our level," Jarkiholi said.
In Belagavi, Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said there was no need for her to comment when senior state leaders had already spoken on the issue.