Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday denied media report that claimed he said party high command would not decide who should be the CM, instead the MLAs would take a call.
"I have not made any such statement. The news outlet misquoted my statement," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.
"What is being quoted in the media is totally false. All I said is that the selection of the CM is a democratic process. I am an aspirant for the CM post and he (D K Shivakumar) is also an aspirant, but what they're saying is false," he said.
The news report again triggered speculation over differences between Siddaramaiah and Pradesh Congress president D K Shivakumar.
The NDTV had reported that in an interview to the news channel, the former CM claimed that the high command would not intervene to pick the next chief minister if Congress comes to power in the state as the elected MLAs would make a choice.
Both Siddaramaiah and Pradesh Congress president D K Shivakumar are strong contenders for the CM post. They have publicly several times expressed their desire to become the CM if the party came to power.
However, the party top brass, including Rahul Gandhi, repeatedly told them to put up a united fight and the party high command would decide the CM face if the party comes to power in Karnataka.
Published 04 April 2023, 08:54 IST
