Amid speculation of 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. Mallikarjun Kharge said that only the people there can tell what the government is doing. But I would like to say that we will resolve such issues. People from the high command – Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and I will sit together and discuss this… We will do necessary mediation.
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The power tussle within the party has intensified in recent weeks amid murmurs of a change of CM in the state after the Congress government reached the halfway point of its five-year term on November 20. This is happening in the backdrop of the alleged power-sharing agreement between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in 2023. Kharge’s comments come amid growing speculation about a change in the face of the Karnataka chief ministerial post, prompted by the 2023 “power-sharing agreement” between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar that has been frequently mentioned in political circles.
Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said that he and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar would accept the decision of the Congress high command and work accordingly. Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said that D.K. Shivkumar and I should follow the decision of the party high command. Whatever decision the high command takes, D.K. Shivkumar and I must agree with him. We will work as per the decision of the party high command.
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Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar gave vague answers to several media questions regarding the speculation. DK Shivakumar said that I believe in discretion. We should act according to our conscience. I do not want to embarrass or weaken the party. Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has also indicated that he is in the race for the post of Chief Minister amid the demand of Dalit organizations for a Dalit Chief Minister.