Kharge, Siddaramaiah, DKS & Karnataka CM row

Amid speculation over leadership change in Karnataka, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the issue will be resolved after discussions at the top level with senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified in the recent weeks amid murmurs about a CM change in the state after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20 in the backdrop of an alleged "power-sharing" agreement involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in 2023.
Meanwhile, The leadership battle within the Karnataka Congress sharpened this week, with chief minister Siddaramaiah publicly urging the party high command to “put a full stop to the confusion” and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar confirming the existence of a “secret deal” involving “five-six” senior leaders on power-sharing - while still refusing to spell it out.
Karnataka minister and Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge also held discussions with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the leadership change issue in the state. According to reports, Priyank has conveyed Rahul’s message to both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, and they are likely to be called to New Delhi soon for a meeting aimed at resolving the matter.Ever since the Congress won the Karnataka assembly elections in March 2023, there has been buzz of an agreement between Siddaramiah and Shivakumar, blessed by the party’s central leadership, on a power transfer after two-and-half-years. Talk of this agreement has intensified in recent months with the chief minister speaking of a reshuffle, but insisting that he would remain in charge.

(State Correspondent)