'No decision on leadership change in Karnataka': Kharge as 'tussle' between Siddaramaiah & Shivakumar drags on

Kharge said that the final decision will be jointly taken by him, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday refused to speak on the possible leadership change in Karnataka, saying no date has been fixed yet.

Kharge addressed the alleged power struggle between Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar for the Chief Minister's post, and said that the final decision will be jointly taken by him, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

He also cautioned against misinterpretation of his remarks.

"See, we will take a decision together, the three of us: I as the AICC president, Sonia Gandhi as the Congress Parliamentary Party president, and Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. That is why we always act together," Kharge said.

"When the three of us fix a date together, we will take a decision. Since no date has been fixed yet, how can I say whether a change is happening or not?"

He asserted that the Congress leadership follows a consultative process before arriving at any conclusion.

"In the high command, we have extensive discussions among ourselves and also consult other senior leaders. We consider what the outcome would be and then take steps accordingly," the Congress chief said.

Stressing that no timeline had been finalised, he said, "When it happens, I will definitely inform you. Please do not misinterpret this."

"Whatever decision is taken, it will be in the interest of the state, and everyone will have to support whatever decision the high command takes," he said.

His statements come a day after he said that there was no change of CM in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state would be resolved soon.

The said power struggle stems from the fact that Siddaramaiah was supposed to vacate the CM's chair for Shivakumar after completing 2.5 years, that was in November 2025.