high-command-to-take-call-on-karnataka-leadership-kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday sought to calm speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka, saying the matter would be settled after discussions with senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

 

“The high command, myself, Rahul ji and Sonia ji will together take a decision on the issue and resolve it,” Kharge said.

His remarks came amid renewed talk of a power-sharing understanding between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, allegedly agreed upon after the party returned to power in 2023.

 

The debate has sharpened since the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, triggering speculation about whether the leadership arrangement would change. Siddaramaiah has publicly maintained that it is for the high command to end the “confusion”, while Shivakumar has hinted at an internal formula without elaborating.

 

Addressing reporters in Bengaluru earlier this week, Siddaramaiah said legislators were free to travel to Delhi if they wished to communicate their views. “Let them go. MLAs have freedom. Let’s see what opinion they give. Ultimately, the high command has to make the decision. We will abide by what the high command says,” he said. He added that only a clear direction from the party leadership would “put a full stop to the confusion”.

Also read: Shivakumar loyalists seek power shift in Karnataka

Shivakumar, meanwhile, told journalists that he did not intend to discuss the matter publicly, referring to what he described as a “secret deal between five and six of us” within the party. “I don't know. I have not asked to make me the CM. It is a secret deal between five and six of us. I don't want to speak publicly on this. I believe in my conscience,” he said, adding that preserving the party’s unity was paramount. “If the party is there, we are there. If karyakartas are there, we are there.”

 

Speaking in Kanakapura, the deputy chief minister called Siddaramaiah “a senior leader” and “an asset for the party”. He said he was “very happy” if the chief minister intended to present the next budget, emphasising that both leaders must work together with an eye on the 2028 Assembly elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.

 

Asked again about a power-sharing understanding after the 2023 Assembly polls, Shivakumar declined comment, saying, “Why should I speak about it? You (media) have written things.”