BELAGAVI: Calling Deputy CM DK Shivakumar the next CM, a large hoarding has been erected in the heart of Belagavi city by Mrinal Hebbalkar, son of Karnataka Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar to wish the former on his birthday.
The banner showing Shivakumar as the next CM comes at a time when a majority of MLAs across the state are exerting pressure on the Congress high command to continue Siddaramaiah as CM, apparently objecting to the appointment of Shivakumar as the next CM.
The giant hoarding erected at the iconic Chennamma Circle in Belagavi has quickly become the centre of intense political discussion, both within Congress ranks and outside.
Though projected as a birthday greeting for Shivakumar, the deliberate use of the phrase “Next CM” has reignited the debate over the much-discussed power-sharing formula between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
An open endorsement of Shivakumar as the “next CM” by the Hebbalkar camp has reportedly surprised many leaders within the Congress and fuelled fresh speculation over internal equations in the party. Ever since the Congress government assumed office in Karnataka, rumours surrounding a rotational chief ministership arrangement have continued to surface intermittently.
The development has also intensified speculation over whether influential sections within the Congress are subtly attempting to build momentum in favour of a leadership transition in the coming months. While the top brass and senior state leaders have officially maintained silence over the banner episode, the political message conveyed through it has unmistakably reignited the succession debate in state politics.