BENGALURU: Discussion on the change of guard in the government may have subsided over the last few days, but the mind game has continued between CM Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar camps. But it seems only a lull as the issue will not go away till November, when Siddaramaiah completes two-and-a-half years as CM. The outcome of the Bihar Assembly polls could also play a part, party sources said.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is campaigning hard in Bihar and the poll outcome could have an impact on Karnataka politics, the sources said. Rahul is said to be not in favour of removing Siddaramaiah, a backward class face of the party, they said. That might have forced Shivakumar to meet Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, hoping that she would convince Sonia Gandhi to go for leadership change, they added.
When Shivakumar left for Delhi after offering prayers to Shirdi Sai Baba, there was an intense buzz. He posted a clarification on X: “I’m currently travelling to Shirdi and a few other places for personal reasons. It is unfortunate that certain news channels and media platforms are misrepresenting this as a political visit. Claims that I am travelling to Delhi on the instructions of the High Command are entirely false and unfounded.” Sources said he has gone to Delhi to sign certain documents related to his case with ED. Shivakumar meeting his sympathisers who are close to the Gandhi family cannot be ruled out, they added.
Shivakumar’s younger brother and Bamul president DK Suresh said the DCM is in no hurry to become CM. The time has not yet come for Shivakumar to show the strength of MLAs supporting him, he added.
His statement is being interpreted as the DK brothers’ decision to wait for a smooth transition of power and expect some of the MLAs aligned with Siddaramaiah to get frustrated and jump camps. “Some MLAs are already unhappy over some intervention by the CM and his coterie in their assembly constituencies, especially in posting officers. Their number may increase. It all depends on how DK brothers take them into confidence,” a legislator told TNIE.
In a latest flashpoint, Shivakumar dared to write to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh as an engineer in the water resources department was transferred without his consent.
No DCC prez picks yet
Developments over change in leadership within Congress have stalled the reshuffle of District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents. KPCC working president GC Chandrashekar has issued a circular to observers to not to go ahead with the process.