Karnataka leadership tussle: Siddaramaiah to meet DK Shivakumar over breakfast tomorrow
The proposed meeting has triggered fresh political debate within the state Congress unit as talks about a potential leadership transition have resurfaced intermittently over the last few months, despite repeated claims by the party leadership denying such reports.
The development came shortly after a high-level Congress meeting held in New Delhi on Tuesday, which was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
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After the meeting, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal clarified that the discussions were focused only on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and the Karnataka Legislative Council elections and not on any leadership change in the state.
Venugopal said, “Today we had a detailed meeting with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar (Randeep Singh Surjewala), general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, and I were part of the discussion. The entire discussion focused only on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and the Karnataka Council Elections.” he said.
He also termed reports of leadership change as “speculation” and stated that announcements regarding candidates for Rajya Sabha and Council elections would be made in conjunction with other states.
Speculation has been emerging regarding a leadership change in the Karnataka Congress ever since the government completed its two-and-a-half-year term last year. The proposal gained further traction after sections of DK Shivakumar’s supporters over the past 18 months suggested that he might eventually take over as Prime Minister.
At the same time, some Congress workers also expressed their support to senior Congress leader G Parameshwara for the top post in the state, adding another dimension to the internal political debates within the party.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to attend multiple programs in Bengaluru on Wednesday, including events to commemorate the 62nd death anniversary of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
As per the official program schedule, Siddaramaiah will attend a Nehru commemoration program at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office in Bengaluru at 10:30 am and then attend another commemoration event in front of Vidhana Soudha at 11 am.
No official press conference is planned at this time. However, officials stated that additional information about the Prime Minister’s duties may be shared later in the day.
Some Congress workers are also rallying behind G Parameshwara for the top post.
The upcoming breakfast meeting between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar is currently being closely watched in Karnataka political circles for any signs of coordination or internal squabbling within the state leadership.
