I'll be the Chief Minister for full five-year term, asserts Siddaramaiah

His statement came after some Congress leaders, including Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, said that the Deputy CM D K Shivakumar should take up the mantle soon.

As the leadership debate in Karnataka continues, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made it clear on Wednesday that he would complete his full five-year term.

His statement came after some Congress leaders, including Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, said on Wednesday that the Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar should become take over the mantle.

"I will be the chief minister for full five-year term," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru on the sidelines of the Dasara 2025 festival.

The 77-year-old hopes that he will perform ‘Pushparchana’ during the next Dasara too in Mysuru.

There is a convention of chief minister performing Pushparchana during royal Dasara celebrations in Mysuru.

He also maintained that he would toe the party high command’s direction.

“Whatever the high command decides, we've to go by it,” Siddaramaiah said.

Ever since Congress regained power in Karnataka in 2023, the vexed issue of leadership has been troubling the Grand Old Party. Once the election results were announced, there were rumours floating at that time that party had done a secret power-sharing deal between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar -- wherein the duo would share the chief minister's chair for a term of two-and-a-half years each.

With Siddaramaiah set to complete two-and-a-half years in office soon, the leadership debate has come up again and the veteran Congressman sought to express his stand clearly on the matter.

(with agency inputs)