Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to complete his full five-year term, with senior Congress leaders ruling out any leadership change despite simmering tensions between camps loyal to the CM and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, according to sources.

Siddaramaiah reportedly held a brief 10-minute phone conversation with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday night, during which the party top brass conveyed its decision to back him through the remainder of the government’s term.

Sources said the Chief Minister is also considering a cabinet reshuffle next month, likely after the state legislature’s winter session. They further claimed Siddaramaiah continues to enjoy the support of a larger group of Congress legislators compared to Shivakumar.

The tensions resurfaced after the government completed 2.5 years in office— a milestone that earlier triggered speculation about a rotational CM formula, allegedly agreed upon after the Congress won the 2023 Assembly polls.

While several MLAs close to Shivakumar, including Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy, have camped in Delhi seeking meetings with party leaders, Siddaramaiah has repeatedly denied the existence of any such power-sharing arrangement.

Surjewala issues warning to Karnataka Congress MLAs

Amid the escalating chatter, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, cautioned party MLAs and leaders against making public statements hinting at a possible leadership change.

In a post on X, the Rajya Sabha MP accused a “defeated and faction-ridden” BJP and a section of the media of orchestrating a “maligning campaign” against the Congress government.

Surjewala said both the CM and Deputy CM had agreed on the need to counter the “agenda” being pushed by vested interests. “The party has sternly warned them against making public statements on leadership. The opinion of various party functionaries has been taken note of,” he said.