KarNataka: All eyes on Cong high command

New Delhi/Bengaluru: Amid the ongoing power tussle between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the party high command will provide the necessary mediation to resolve the issue.

Commenting on the leadership change speculation, Kharge said state leaders are in a better position to tell what exactly the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government is doing. He, however, asserted that the party will resolve any such issue.

“Only the people there can say what the government is doing there. But I would like to say that we will resolve such issues,” Kharge was quoted as saying by a news agency. He further stated that the party high command, including him, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, will sit together and deliberate on the issue. “We will give the mediation that is required,” he added.

Meanwhile, DK Shivakumar has denied having any confusion regarding the leadership change, saying there is only one group in the Karnataka Congress, and that is the group of 140 MLAs. “There is no confusion. No one should demand anything. There are no groups. There is only one group- the Congress group. Our group is of 140 MLAs,” Shivakumar said.

The speculation surrounding the leadership change in Karnataka began to surface in the last few weeks. With Siddaramaiah completing his half-term, rumours started doing the rounds that he will now be replaced by DK Shivakumar as per the unofficial 50-50 power-sharing formula decided after the Congress victory in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.

At the time, both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar were eyeing the CM’s post, but the party high command went with the former. It was then reported that the party had decided on a power-sharing formula, and according to that, Siddaramaiah will rule the state for 2.5 years, and DK Shivakumar will become the CM for the remaining 2.5 years. However, the Congress never confirmed this. Siddaramaiah has said that he will complete his full five-year term. DKS has also been publicly maintaining that he is not plotting to oust Siddaramaiah.