Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar to attend Congress' 'vote chori' rally in Delhi on December 14

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing leadership tussle, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Deputy D K Shivakumar will participate in the Congress 'Vote Chori' rally at Ramlila Maidan here on Sunday.

Siddaramaiah will arrive in Delhi on Sunday at noon, attend the rally, and depart for Belagavi around 4 p.m. the same day.

According to his schedule, he has no other political engagements, including exclusive meetings with party leaders to discuss political developments in the state.

Shivakumar, who arrived in the national capital on Saturday, told reporters that he and the CM would attend a lunch hosted at the Congress headquarters for senior party leaders by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday.

"Since the Congress office is my temple, whoever I meet there, I will greet them," he said.

However, he evaded questions about whether he planned to meet party leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, during his stay in national capital.

Shivakumar said around 4,000 party workers from Karnataka have come for the rally, and ministers, most MLAs, and MLCs will also attend the event.

At the 'Vote Chori' rally, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi are expected to address the gathering.

Top leaders, including Congress general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K.C. Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, and Sachin Pilot, will participate in the event.Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi is also likely to be present.

The senior leaders will assemble at the party's Indira Bhawan headquarters and then proceed to Ramlila Maidan in a bus.

National Herald case

Shivakumar also said he would stay back on Monday and is likely to meet Delhi Police to respond to their notice regarding his donation to the National Herald.

He added that he would first discuss the matter with his lawyers.

Earlier, the Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) issued a notice to Shivakumar and his brother former MP D K Suresh directing them to furnish financial and transactional details by December 19.

The police also sought complete details regarding his personal background and association with the Congress party.

The National Herald case originated from a complaint filed by former MP Subramanian Swamy, alleging misuse of funds by Congress leaders and companies linked to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL).