With Siddaramaiah asserting that he will remain Karnataka chief minister for the entire five-year period, and his deputy D K Shivakumar conceding that he had no option but to stand by Siddaramaiah, there appears to be a temporary halt to talks surrounding a possible leadership transition in Karnataka.
Ahead of a special Cabinet meeting at Nandi Hills in the Chikkaballapura district Wednesday, Siddaramaiah brushed aside ongoing speculation that he would be replaced within the next two months. Responding to a question on whether he would complete the full term as CM, he said, “Yes, I will remain CM for five years. Do you have any doubt?”
This comes at a time when rumours of Shivakumar replacing Siddaramaiah persisted, despite assertions by AICC general secretary Randeep Surjewala that there were no talks of a change in leadership. The ongoing meetings of Surjewala with party legislators had given rise to claims again that the consultations were to gather opinion about the subject.
Responding to the issue, Shivakumar said he had no option but to stand by Siddaramaiah. “What option do I have? I have to stand by him, support him. I don’t have any objection to it. Whatever the party high command tells and whatever it desires, it will be fulfilled,” Shivakumar said in response to a question.
Ramanagar MLA Iqbal Hussain, who has spoken out in recent days in favour of Shivakumar leading the government, repeated Wednesday that the deputy CM will be made CM in two months, “200 per cent.” This was despite a show-cause notice seeking an explanation for the comments he made on the issue.
Soon after Congress came to power in Karnataka in 2023, there were reports that a ‘power-sharing’ agreement was reached between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. The agreement purportedly assured the CM berth for the two for a period of two and a half years each. However, the Congress leadership dismissed these reports, maintaining that the discretion to appoint or change the CM remained with it.