BENGALURU: The Congress high command is said to have started its exercise for the smooth transition of power in Karnataka and would accede to all the suggestions of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, sources said.
Sources said Siddaramaiah is likely to pass the baton to any Congress leader that the high command chooses after he completes two and a half years of his tenure and after ensuring that any of his staunch loyalists, especially PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, becomes the KPCC chief.
At the high command level, there was a pact on power-sharing for which Siddaramaiah too agreed, sources said. In the KPCC general body meeting on Monday, Siddaramaiah spoke about the sacrifices of the Gandhi family. “Senior leader Sonia Gandhi and LoP in LS Rahul Gandhi have made sacrifices and we too should tread their path,” he said.
Later in the CLP meeting, he had asserted that both he and DCM D K Shivakumar should abide by the decision of the high command. It may be recalled that Siddaramaiah had stated in a public meeting in Chamarajanagar on December 7, 2024, that he is in the twilight of his political career. It will be interesting to note whether Siddaramaiah pushes for a Dalit as CM or pitches for two or three DCM posts, giving representation to different communities, including the Veerashaiva Lingayats, if Shivakumar becomes a strong contender for the top post.
Given this equation, already there is a buzz in the Shivakumar camp that he would become the next CM. Even Magadi MLA H C Balakrishna, a Vokkaliga, and Channagiri MLA Basavaraju V Shivaganga, a Veerashaiva-Lingayath, openly issued such statements recently. Shivakumar, during his temple run recently, had stated that he needs no one’s support as he has reposed faith in the party high command.