Under Shivakumar’s Leadership, Cong Will Again Return To Power In Karnataka In 2028: K C Venugopal
Bengaluru: The Congress party will return to power in Karnataka under the leadership of DK Shivakumar, party general secretary KC Venugopal said on Saturday. At the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting held here, Shivakumar was elected leader of the legislature party, paving the way for him to take over as the next chief minister of the state.
The meeting was supervised by AICC general secretaries Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Speaking to reporters later, Venugopal said that there was a smooth transition of power in Karnataka under the guidance of AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
He further added, “Under Shivakumar’s leadership, Congress will return to power with Siddaramaiah’s support in the 2028 assembly elections in Karnataka.” he said.
Venugopal said Siddaramaiah resigned from the post of Chief Minister, following which the CLP meeting was held and the Congress high command decided to appoint Shivakumar as the next leader.
He said that Shivakumar will be sworn in as the Karnataka CM along with his team on the evening of June 3.
Early in the party meeting in the legislature, the Congress high command suggested Shivakumar’s name as the CLP leader. Venugopal said Siddaramaiah suggested the name Shivakumar and G Parameshwara also supported it, CLP accepted it unanimously.
He said everyone thought that the transition of power from Siddaramaiah to Shivakumar would create problems for the Congress. Some people in the media thought that there would be a major shake-up in Congress, but nothing like that happened.
“Ours is a big family. Everyone was behind Siddaramaiah. Many wondered what Siddaramaiah would do. But he responded with one word from the heart: Only the Congress matters. The decision of the Congress high command, the decision of the party is also Siddaramaiah’s decision. He has proven that in a very big way,” the Congress general secretary said.
He added that the CLP has unanimously accepted Siddaramaiah’s services as chief minister for the last few years and a resolution has been passed in this regard.
“The resolution was moved by none other than Shivakumar, who congratulated Siddaramaiah for his excellent service as the CM of Karnataka,” he said.
Later, in a post on ‘X’, Venugopal described Shivakumar as a fierce warrior who focused on development, public welfare and development of the poor.
He said that Shivakumar has replaced the courageous leader Siddaramaiah who provided first-class management.
“We are confident that he (Shivakumar) will take the mission forward with great commitment and skill. I wish him all the best for a successful tenure!” The Congress leader said.
Meanwhile, congratulating Shivakumar, Surjewala called him “a true warrior, a Congress worker in wool, an organizer par excellence, a man in whose blood Congress ideology flows”.
“Above all, (he is) a leader who has compassion and love in his heart for seven crore Kannadigas and has a dream to take Karnataka further to new heights of inclusive development and glory. I wish you success in your endeavours,” he said.
Thanking outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his profound service to Karnataka and the Congress, he said his eight-year tenure will be remembered for his prescient vision, commitment to social justice and a period of remarkable development along with purpose and prosperity.
“It was a personal honor to work with you, learn from you and translate the Congress’ ideology of ‘development with prosperity’ into government policies, especially the Congress’ five guarantees,” the Rajya Sabha member said.
