BENGALURU: With Chief Minister Siddaramaiah going from strength to strength holding on to his post, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar maintaining his silence over leadership change, the camp behind the DCM seems to be losing its spirit.
To rub salt over the wound, Dalit ministers plan to hold a rally and AHINDA organisation members are launching a signature campaign to send out a message to the high command that Siddaramaiah should continue as CM. A few first-time MLAs, who are Shivakumar loyalists, are feeling let down that he is not backing them strongly to counter the Siddaramaiah camp. They have been expressing their helplessness among their close circles, sources said.
Shivakumar, meanwhile, hopes that senior leader Sonia Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will interfere in his favour on transfer of power as they too were party to the agreement that reportedly happened in 2023 when the party came to power. His younger brother DK Suresh said, “There is hope. If it is there in Shivakumar’s fate to become CM it will happen, otherwise it will not. He will act as per the high command’s instructions.”
He said there is nothing wrong in Siddaramaiah leading the 2028 Assembly polls and contesting the polls as well as he is agile. On SC/ST ministers planning a rally, he said it’s a welcome move as it helps strengthen the party.
Asked about the coterie around Siddaramaiah seeking his continuation as CM and talks of Dalit CM coming to the fore, Shivakumar refused to be drawn into a controversy and merely said, “I only appeal to them not to waste their precious energy by talking about unnecessary things.”
In the meantime, former minister KN Rajanna is planning to host a dinner for Siddaramaiah during his official visit to Tumakuru on November 7. Rajanna has been campaigning for the creation of more Deputy CM posts.
Siddaramaiah not confident of remaining in power after November, says Vijayendra
CHITRADURGA: State BJP president BY Vijayendra on Wednesday said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is not confident of remaining in power after November, when the Congress government in the state completes two-and-a-half years in office. Speaking to reporters in Chitradurga, Vijayendra said that the fight for the CM’s chair has started in Karnataka. “Earlier, Siddaramaiah had said that he would be the CM for five years. Now, if he is saying that it is up to the high command. A few MLAs want DK Shivakumar to be the CM,” Vijayendra said, adding that this tussle has led to the neglect of the state’s development.
“The state administration has completely collapsed owing to this internal fight in the Congress. Many Congress MLAs are aspiring to become the CM by stating that they are ready if their party high command gives them a chance,” he added. He further said that the guarantee schemes implem-ented by the Congress governments in Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh have put these states in dire straits.
