In message to leadership, CM Siddaramaiah in Delhi says will serve full term

New Delhi: In a strong message to the party high command and his supporters, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday sought to debunk all speculation of a leadership change in the state with a categorical assertion that he would remain in office for a full five-year term to lead the party in the next Assembly elections.

He also firmly denied that there had ever been a power-sharing agreement with his deputy, D K Shivakumar, when Congress won the 2023 state Assembly elections.

“The leadership issue is not in the discussion. There is no discussion about this within the party,” Siddaramaiah, who is in Delhi to meet the party leadership, told reporters.

Though the CM has made similar statements in the past, this is the first time he has stated this in Delhi.

Since Shivakumar is also in the national capital and meeting the party leadership, there was speculation about leadership change.

“It is natural to raise such issues when the government is completing two and a half years, but it does not mean such an agreement was there. If such an agreement existed, I would not have said recently that I will be the CM for five years,” CM added, putting the onus on the high command to clear the air on the issue.

“Is the CM post vacant now? Then why is there such speculation?” he added.

“If someone shares a personal opinion, can that be the party’s decision? Kharge and Rahul Gandhi should talk about this,” he said, wondering why such rumours are emanating when he is firmly in the saddle.

Siddaramaiah’s statements are being seen as both as a pre-emptive move to send a strong message to the party’s central leadership to quell all speculations about his political future and send a message to his supporters back home that he remains in-charge. However, he hastened to add that the party high command’s decision would be final and binding.

In an apparent reference to Shivkumar, the CM said that there is “nothing wrong” in nurturing political aspirations. “There is nothing wrong with that. Shivakumar has himself said that the CM’s chair is not vacant,” he added.

On Congress General Secretary (in charge Karnataka) meeting MLAs for the past few days the CM said, “Surjewala himself clarified that he is not seeking opinion of MLAs for leadership change. These are media speculation. There is no discussion of change of leadership within Congress party.”

Separately, the CM in an interview to a TV channel said, “There are always some MLAs supporting DK Shivakumar, but not many.”

To a question on whether the Congress will to the Assembly polls in 2028 under his leadership, the CM said in 2023 the party faced polls under his leadership and in 2028 too it will be the same.