'No reality': Congress says no tussle between Siddaramaiah, DKS for Karnataka CM post

NEW DELHI: Congress high command on Tuesday dismissed speculation over a power tussle between Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar over the chief minister post in the state.After a series of meetings in Delhi, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said the discussions were focused entirely on the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections.“Today, we had a detailed meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi. CM Siddaramaiah, deputy CM DK Shivakumar, the Karnataka in-charge general secretary and I were part of the discussion. The entire discussion was concentrated only on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and Council elections in Karnataka,” Venugopal said.“Whatever speculation you people are doing is only speculation; there is no reality at all. Candidates for the Rajya Sabha and Council elections in Karnataka will be announced along with candidates from other states. This is what we decided today and nothing else,” he added.Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar met Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Venugopal at Indira Bhavan amid growing speculation over the power-sharing arrangement in Karnataka. Speaking to reporters before leaving Karnataka Bhavan for the meeting, Siddaramaiah did not respond to questions on whether he would complete a full term as chief minister amid rumours of a possible leadership change. Shivakumar later arrived separately for the discussions with the party leadership.The meetings came against the backdrop of persistent tensions between the Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar camps nearly three years after Congress returned to power in Karnataka.Before leaving Bengaluru for Delhi, Siddaramaiah said he was unaware of the agenda of the meeting.“I have been invited to Delhi. There is a meeting tomorrow (May 26). I do not know the subject of the meeting. They have called the meeting for 11 am. AICC general secretary and MP K C Venugopal called me, informed me about the meeting and invited me to attend,” Siddaramaiah said.The Congress leadership has intervened multiple times since the formation of the Karnataka government in 2023 to manage tensions between the two leaders. Supporters of Shivakumar have repeatedly claimed that a rotational chief ministership arrangement was agreed upon when the government was formed, though the Congress high command has never publicly confirmed such a formula.Meanwhile, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has continued attacking the Congress over the prolonged uncertainty surrounding Karnataka’s leadership, alleging that the infighting has affected governance and exposed divisions within the ruling party.