The intra-party wrangle of the Karnataka Congress has gone a notch higher with the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar playing a game of send out messages that are contradictory yet very sharp on the issue of the leadership arrangement of the party. What was being whispered behind closed doors is now being demonstrated in the open, brought about by the fact that Shivakumar had confessed to a back-door compromise on power-sharing and Siddaramaiah had urged the Congress high command to end the confusion.
However, during his address at Kanakapura, Shivakumar admitted that there had been a consensus on the chief ministership among five or six senior leaders, but declined to divulge the consensus. His claim that he would not be talking about the issue in publicity was an indication of both restraint and dissatisfaction. His followers want this knowledge to be respected and it is important that Shivakumar has been serving the organisation so long and clarity is necessary to ensure that there is credibility within the party.
Siddaramaiah, however, has taken a much more stinging approach. In response to Bengaluru reporters, he demanded that the central leadership of the party should make a decision and end speculation and confusion. This is a change on the part of his previous bold claims that the Congress government would serve its five-year term as under his leadership. His shift of position is also being associated with his November 22 encounter with the party president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Kharge, in the meantime, has ruled out the possibility of discussing the issue in public. He clarified that all the decisions would be made at the top in consultation with him, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah camp strongly rejects the fact that the power sharing agreement was ever formal and quotes his 2023 CLP election winning majority as a testament to his unopposed mandate. They also point out that the change of leadership should be discussed.
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