Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar's proposed meeting with Kharge, Rahul Gandhi raises eyebrows

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar's proposed meeting with the party high command has raised eyebrows in the political circle.

The two leaders are likely to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday evening, sources said.

Though Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have said that their Delhi visit pertained to their official work, their meeting with the top leaders assumes significance in the wake of ministers and MLAs indicating leadership change in the state and dissidence in the party.

The Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala is camping in Bengaluru and has been holding meetings with the ministers and MLAs to resolve their issues.

Surjewala on Tuesday declined to comment on the ongoing discussions regarding the leadership change in the state, suggesting that it is no longer pertinent and also indicated that such decisions rest with the party high command.

Though Surjewala ruled out gathering any opinion on leadership change, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said the Congress general secretary is setting the ground for the leadership change by November or December.

Despite strict directions to the party leaders not to discuss anything in public on the internal matters of the party and government, including the issue of leadership change, MLAs are vocal.

Some Congress MLAs are upset with the government. Kagwad MLA Raju Kage threatened to resign for lack of development in his constituency.

Aland MLAs B R Patil recently alleged corruption in housing scheme for poor families. Backing him, another Congress MLA Belur Gopal Krishna demanded that Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan should resign.

Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna predicted a major development in September.

In the midst of Surjewala holding meetings with MLAs, CM Siddaramaiah asserted that he would complete his five years' term.

In response, some Congress MLAs, including Ramanagara legislator H A Iqbal Hussain from Shivakumar camp, insisted that they want their leader to become CM.

Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state president, not only asserted that he would toe the party line but also served a show-cause notice to his supporter MLA Hussain for his statement.

The Deputy Chief Minister and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former MP, have stated that the Chief Minister's post is not vacant.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the Chief Minister’s post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy CM.

There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational Chief Minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-a-half years in November 2025, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.