Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said he will fully support Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the party high command’s decision, amid mounting speculations of a possible change in state leadership.
“I don’t want to discuss anything now. Lakhs of workers are supporting this party,” he added.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA BR Patil issued a clarification over his “luck lottery” remarks about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, stating that the latter was elevated to the top post based on his “mass leadership”.
The clarification came amid ongoing speculation of a power tussle in the Karnataka unit of the Congress, after the party formed the government in the state in 2023. Siddaramaiah is the current Chief Minister, and DK Shivakumar is the Deputy Chief Minister.
Earlier, CM Siddaramaiah, when asked if he would remain Chief Minister for five years, told reporters, “Yes, I will. Why do you have doubts?”
“Are BJP leaders Ashoka, Vijayendra, our high command? Vijayendra, Ashoka are BJP men, Narayanswami is also a BJP leader. Write what I said,” he asserted.
A day earlier, Shivakumar clarified that the discussions during a recent meeting between Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala and party MLAs were not about a cabinet reshuffle. He said the focus was on organisational aspects of the party.
“AICC general secretaries are meeting to discuss party organisation issues and accept requests from MLAs, but there is no discussion about changing the CM or expanding the cabinet,” said Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president.
Responding to media queries at the KPCC office, he said the meeting was held in the context of party organisation, as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has declared this year as the “year of organisation.” He added that the Congress was focused on empowering district and block presidents to keep the party structure strong.
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