Bengaluru: Amid intensifying speculation over a potential change in leadership in Karnataka, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated firmly on Sunday that the party's High Command will make the final decision.

Kharge’s statement followed his second meeting in less than a week with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Addressing the media, the AICC chief was dismissive of the ongoing speculation, saying, "We discussed nothing important today. Don't stand here in the sun or cold and waste your time. Whatever decisions are to be taken will be done by high command. Don't think about this much."

 

The recent surge in political tension within the Karnataka Congress is primarily fueled by an unconfirmed power-sharing agreement, which reportedly suggested Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar would take over as Chief Minister after the current government reached its 2.5-year mark.

CM Siddaramaiah, after meeting Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, maintained that he would abide by the High Command's decision but was quick to dismiss the entire leadership change buzz as "speculation and media creation." Simultaneously, Siddaramaiah is reportedly pushing for a Cabinet reshuffle, a move his faction believes would cement his position for the full five-year term.

Deputy CM Shivakumar has handled the situation with a seemingly tactical approach. He claimed that he was not aware of legislators travelling to Delhi to meet Kharge.

Meanwhile, ministers loyal to Siddaramaiah, such as H.C. Mahadevappa, met Kharge to strongly counter the rumours. They emphasised that there is no situation for CM change now and explicitly ruled out any campaign for leadership change.

"Congress will complete its full term and will come back to power in 2028. The CM will be there till 2028 and complete the term," Mahadevappa added.

PTI inputs