BENGALURU: Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, being touted as the dark horse for the chief minister’s post amid the change in leadership tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, is waiting to meet the high command leaders to throw his hat into the ring, sources said.
Parameshwara, backed by the Siddaramaiah camp, is likely to visit Delhi on December 26, on the eve of the Congress Working Committee meeting that will discuss issues of national importance. It is to be seen if he can meet senior party leader Sonia Gandhi, with whom he had a good equation.
Though he has not been to Delhi in a while, his sympathisers are said to be lobbying for him with the high command, sources said. If not the CM post, Parameshwara could land the deputy chief minister’s post. But he is pitted against AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son and RDPR minister Priyank Kharge, who seems to have emerged as a strong contender for that position under the Dalit quota, sources added.
“You (media) are planting many aspirants for the CM post. But I have said on many occasions that I will adhere to the high command’s decision,” he told reporters. He was answering a query on whether Shivakumar who contacted several leaders from the Siddaramaiah camp, left him out considering him to be a serious contender for the CM’s post.
He felt it is better for the high command to resolve the confusion over change in leadership in the interest of development, as the state budget is fast approaching and is likely to be presented in February 2026.
“The high Command has seen many situations like this (Karnataka’s) and can resolve it in a fraction of a second. But it could be waiting for the right time to intervene as it is reportedly summoning Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar,” he maintained.
“When I meet the high command, I will suggest that they put an end to the confusion and statements from different leaders. People have elected us to deliver the goods that we promised in our manifesto,” he said.
He clarified that he will visit Delhi only if the situation demands. “I will not go to Delhi unnecessarily and upset my health in the chilling cold and pollution,” he joked. Yet, it is interesting to see if he will accompany the CM Siddaramaiah camp during his visit to Delhi.