K'taka Congress crisis: Siddaramaiah in Delhi; Shivakumar smiles at ‘next CM’ question - What Next?

The two senior Congress leaders arrived in Delhi after being called by the party high command for discussions on the ongoing power struggle in Karnataka that has been simmering for some time.

Ahead of a high-stakes meeting amid speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah arrived at Indira Bhavan in Delhi on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, also in Delhi, reacted with a smile when asked by reporters whether he would become the next Chief Minister of Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah is scheduled to meet AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, along with party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala at the party office. A separate meeting with Rahul Gandhi is also scheduled later in the day.

There is also buzz around that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may soon be moved to the Rajya Sabha. The development is being viewed as a possible transition from his current role, amid ongoing political discussions within the party.

Before reaching at Indira Bhavan, Siddaramaiah had breakfast at Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi along with Ministers G Parameshwara, Satish Jarkiholi, HC Mahadevappa, Byrathi Suresh, KJ George, and MB Patil, as well as senior Congress leader and Haryana in-charge BK Hariprasad and legal adviser Ponnanna, among other prominent leaders.

PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, reacting to the developments, said, “There has been confusion in the party for the past six months, and we are confident that it will be cleared soon. We have not received any call from the high command, and we have come along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The discussions have not started yet. Once the meeting is over, we will see how the discussions take shape.”

“We will also give our opinions on the post of KPCC President. We do not know whether this matter will be discussed in the meeting. The party is facing many issues, and if the leadership issue is settled, everything else will get settled automatically,” Jarkiholi further said.

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He also underscored that the entire party would abide by the decision taken by the high command.

When asked whether they planned to stay longer in Delhi, he said, “We do not know yet. Once the meeting is held, things will become clearer.”

“There is no discussion on leadership change. However, everything has now reached a final stage,” said Congress MLC and senior leader BK Hariprasad.

“I do not speak about party matters. I have no authority to comment on party affairs. As far as I know, there is no confusion in the party. Everyone comes to Delhi because it is the power centre,” Energy Minister K J George said while reacting to media queries in Delhi.

All eyes are on the Congress high-level meeting involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar, and the party leadership.

Both leaders reached Delhi late Monday night after being called by the party’s central leadership, with their respective factions closely monitoring developments amid speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries M. B. Patil, a close aide of Siddaramaiah, avoided commenting on the outcome of the meeting or the leadership issue, stating that he could not speculate on what was on the mind of Rahul Gandhi

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With IANS inputs....