K’taka tussle: 'Will resolve after talks with Sonia, Rahul'

Amid speculation over leadership change in Karnataka, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the issue will be resolved after discussions at the top level with senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified in the recent weeks amid murmurs about a CM change in the state after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20 in the backdrop of an alleged "power-sharing" agreement involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in 2023

"The high command - myself, Rahul ji and Sonia ji will together take a decision on the issue and resolve it," Kharge told PTI, when asked about the issue of leadership change in Karnataka.

Talk of leadership tussle in the Congress government in Karnataka has refused to die down, with Siddaramaiah putting the onus on party high command to put a "full stop to the confusion", even as Shivakumar has said taht there is a "secret deal between 5-6 of us" in the party on the issue of sharing power.

Responding to a question about legislators backing Shivakumar travelling to Delhi, Siddaramaiah had said on Tuesday, "Let them 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."