DAVANAGERE: Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar hugged party heavyweight Siddaramaiah on his 75th birthday in a public show of unity and bonhomie on Wednesday, prompting Rahul Gandhi to express happiness.
Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are considered front-runners for the Chief Minister's post in the event of Congress coming to power after Assembly elections, due in April-May next year.
Though both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have on record maintained that the CM will be decided by party's newly elected MLAs and high command on gaining majority in the polls, their loyalists and supporters have been projecting their leader, leading to unease in the party.
Speaking at a mega event to celebrate his birthday, Siddaramaiah asserted that the talk that there is a rift between him and Shivakumar is an "illusion and creation" of opposition parties.
"Shivakumar and I are together. There is no difference of opinion among us", he said.
Shivakumar, in his speech, said that Congress has decided to fight the Assembly elections under collective leadership.