New Delhi: Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Friday said he is confident there will not be any change in leadership in Karnataka and his father Siddaramaiah is likely to continue as chief minister throughout the five-year term.Speaking to reporters in Mysore, Yasindra said the party high command has given a clear signal that there will be no leadership change, if not openly. He said the issue had been resolved and no one in the party said Siddaramaiah should be removed.“As far as I know, the high command may not have said it publicly, but it has given a clear signal that there will not be any change in the leadership. So, I believe Siddaramaiah will be the chief minister for five years,” he said.Yasindra also said there was no discussion on leadership change in political circles except in the media. He added that the government should focus on other matters, including the upcoming budget and the country’s financial situation.
Shivakumar’s sarcastic response
deputy chief minister DK ShivakumarHe, who is also seen as a contender for the chief ministership, gave a sarcastic response to Yasindra’s remarks. “Yasindra is our supreme commander, let us accept what he says with great respect,” Shivakumar told reporters in Mangaluru. If anyone has to clarify the issue, it is the party’s central leadership in Delhi, he added.
What is the controversy
After the Congress government completes half of its five-year term in November 2025, the leadership issue has come into focus. There are speculations that there could be a power-sharing arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar when the government is formed in 2023.Shivakumar had earlier said that discussions had been held with the Congress high command on the issue and while a decision had been taken, the exact timing was yet to be finalized.Last month, DK Shivakumar’s brother had said that Rahul Gandhi had assured the deputy chief minister that a decision would be taken in due course.
