Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he is willing to remain in office if the Congress high command wants him to, noting that any decision on a leadership change rests entirely with the party’s central leadership. He added that both he and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar are expected to abide by whatever decision is ultimately made.
This remarks comes after the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, reviving talk of a 2023 “power-sharing” understanding between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
“We will go by whatever the high command decides. If they want me to continue as Chief Minister, I will continue. Ultimately, I must accept their decision, and Shivakumar must also accept it,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
When asked whether Shivakumar would take over as Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah said that the matter lies solely in the hands of the high command.
He also recalled that the Congress leadership had agreed to a Cabinet reshuffle four to five months ago, but he had suggested waiting until the government completed two-and-a-half years in office.
“Now, we will follow whatever the high command decides,” he said. On whether there was an agreement to transfer power at the 2.5-year mark, he responded briefly: “We will abide by the high command’s decision.”
Meanwhile, a new group of Karnataka Congress legislators backing Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has flown to New Delhi to meet the party high command, intensifying the ongoing tussle over a possible change of chief minister.
Party sources said at least six MLAs, H.C. Balakrishna (Magadi), K.M. Uday (Maddur), Nayana Motamma (Mudigere), Iqbal Hussain (Ramanagara), Sharath Bachegowda (Hosakote) and Shivaganga Basavaraj (Channagiri) reached the capital on Sunday night.
More are expected to follow as the pro-Shivakumar camp pushes for him to replace Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, currently in Bengaluru, is set to leave for Delhi, while senior leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to return from an overseas trip.
Last week, around ten Shivakumar-aligned MLAs had also visited Delhi and met Kharge. Siddaramaiah also held a prolonged meeting with Kharge in Bengaluru on Saturday.
According to party insiders, Siddaramaiah is pushing for a Cabinet reshuffle, while Shivakumar wants the leadership issue settled first.
(With inputs from PTI)
