BENGALURU: Amid the ongoing budget session of the state legislature, speculation is rife that the Congress high command has reached a decision on the leadership change issue, which will culminate in an official announcement as soon as the session concludes on March 27.
The top brass will take a decision in consultation with both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, informed sources told The New Indian Express.
Shivakumar, who on Tuesday hosted a dinner for Congress legislators to mark six years as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief, has reportedly conveyed to the high command that he is ready to quit as state Congress president, sources added. “He will resign as soon as the high command gives him a green signal,” a Congress leader said.
Now, the ball is in the high command’s court to take a call on both the CM’s post and that of the KPCC chief. The development is significant in the wake of Shivakumar saying that he will not reveal whom he met during his recent two-day visit to Delhi.
A senior Congress legislator told The New Indian Express that the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chief, Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and AICC president, Mallikarjun Kharge, held deliberations over the issue of leadership change. Kharge had reportedly told Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi recently that the issue would be sorted out soon.
Siddaramaiah is likely to visit Delhi, if the high command calls him, after the budget session of the state legislature. Siddaramaiah’s camp, however, believes that he would seek the high command’s nod for a cabinet reshuffle. But Shivakumar’s camp is confident of the top brass replacing the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, a group of 25-30 senior Congress legislators led by Sagar MLA Beluru Gopalakrishna will meet over dinner on Thursday evening to stake a claim for a cabinet berth. “Several first-time MLAs are lobbying for a cabinet berth. If they can, why can’t us, who have won 3-4 times, stake claim? We will convey it to the CM and Deputy CM and will also go to Delhi to meet our high command leaders,” Beluru told reporters on Wednesday.