Subtle messaging? Shivakumar to host dinner for Congress legislators on Tuesday
Shivakumar will also host a separate dinner for Congress candidates who lost the 2023 assembly elections and chairmen of district and block Congress committees.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Shivakumar refused to divulge details of his meetings with All India Congress Committee (AICC) leaders.
Some sections within the Congress see Tuesday’s dinner as a subtle message to the party leadership about the level of support Shivakumar enjoys among legislators. Political observers will be watching how many MLAs attend the event, especially whether those seen as loyal to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah or those seen as neutral. However, Shivakumar predicted the event as one with no political agenda.
The dinner celebration came amid renewed conversations about the state’s leadership issue. A day after presenting his record 17th budget on Friday, Siddaramaiah said he hoped to present two more budgets in Mysuru on Saturday. He stated that people across the state want him to continue as chief minister, but the final decision lies with the party’s senior commanders.
Earlier this year, Siddaramaiah surpassed Devaraj Urs to become the longest-serving chief minister of Karnataka. The 78-year-old Mysuru-born leader has already completed his five-year term, which began in 2013, and is currently serving his second term.
Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have largely refrained from commenting publicly on the leadership question since their breakfast meeting in November, where they vowed to work together. However, leaders of their respective camps continued to make public statements on the issue. As Siddaramaiah approached the halfway point of his tenure in November, Shivakumar had earlier dropped broad hints about his claim to the chief minister’s post. Before Siddaramaiah’s swearing-in in May 2023, the deputy chief minister had also mentioned a “secret” arrangement that only five or six senior leaders knew about.
