BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has camped in Delhi amid speculation that either there could be a change in leadership or Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would be allowed to reshuffle his cabinet once the results of polls to the five state assemblies and bypolls to Davanagere South and Bagalkot assembly constituencies are out on May 4.
Also, the Siddaramaiah camp holding a “secret” dinner meeting on Thursday evening at his close confidant and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh’s apartment on Cunningham road in Bengaluru, and Shivakumar’s visit to New Delhi on the same day, and his continuing stay there has given rise to many speculation.
On Friday evening, Shivakumar and his younger brother DK Suresh met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge for over two-and-a-half hours. Shivakumar is said to have insisted with Kharge that the issue of change in CM should be settled. He tried to reach out to LoP in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to remind them of the power-sharing agreement reportedly struck between him and Siddaramaiah when the party came to power in 2023.
It is said that as per the agreement, Siddaramaiah should have handed over power to Shivakumar after completing the half-way mark of two-and-a-half years of Congress’ rule. But it has not happened and the government is completing three years in office on May 21. Sources said Shivakumar also spoke to AICC General Secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal over phone on the same issue.
His brother-in-law and Kunigal MLA Dr HD Ranganath on Saturday said in Tumakuru that the agreement between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah exists. “We are looking at Delhi for the message from the high command,” he said. His another sympathiser and Magadi MLA HC Balakrishna insisted that the high command should clear the confusion over leadership change.
But the Siddaramaiah camp strongly believes that the high command will give its nod for the cabinet reshuffle, and he will step down only if Rahul asks him to, which is not likely to happen anytime soon. He will only lobby hard to get the KPCC president’s post, held by Shivakumar now, to his Man Friday PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, a source said. But Dalit ministers, especially Dr G Parameshwara, believe that Siddaramaiah would propose his name if it is inevitable for him to step down as CM, sources said.
Recently, Kharge, Priyanka, senior leaders and Supreme Court lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi held talks about legal hurdles for Shivakumar to become chief minister as he faces several court cases.
Recent ED raids on Shivakumar’s sympathiser and Youth Congress leader Mohammed Haris Nalpad, son of Shantinagar MLA NA Haris, was also discussed, sources said.
Besides chasing their political ambitions, the DK brothers also focussed on getting their issues resolved as they met legal experts and chartered accountants, the sources added.