Siddaramaiah to be removed as Karnataka CM? Congress chief Kharge makes BIG statement

As rumours swirl about a possible change in leadership in Karnataka, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday didn’t clearly deny them. Instead, he said the decision lies with the party’s top leaders. The speculation grew stronger after Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala visited Bengaluru, leading to talk that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar might take over from Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister.

When asked if there would be a change in October, Kharge replied, “Only the party high command can decide that. No one here knows what they are planning. It’s up to them to take any decision. But there’s no need to create unnecessary trouble by spreading such talks.”

On Sunday, Karnataka Congress MLA H A Iqbal Hussain said that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar might get a chance to become the Chief Minister in the next two to three months.

Speaking to the media, Hussain praised Shivakumar’s efforts during the last Assembly elections. “Everyone knows how hard he worked to bring Congress to power. His planning and leadership made a big difference. I’m not one to go by rumours, but I believe the party’s top leaders are aware of everything and will make the right decision at the right time,” he said.

When asked directly if Shivakumar could become CM this year, Hussain replied, “Yes, I believe so. Some leaders are saying big political changes might happen after September. That’s what people are talking about. We expect a decision in two to three months.”

He also reminded reporters that the Congress leadership, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge, made the final call on forming the government after the 2023 elections. “We were all in Delhi when that decision was made. The next decision will also come from the high command. We just need to wait and see,” Hussain added.

Talks of leadership change in Karnataka

Talk of a leadership change in Karnataka’s Congress government has been going on for a while, mainly due to a possible power-sharing deal between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar. While the rumours had settled down after strict instructions from the party’s top leaders, they’ve recently resurfaced.

After the Congress won the Assembly elections in May 2023, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were strong contenders for the Chief Minister’s post. In the end, the party convinced Shivakumar to take on the role of Deputy CM. At the time, there were reports about a “rotational Chief Minister” arrangement, where Shivakumar would take over halfway through the term. However, the party never officially confirmed this.

BJP Hits Back at Kharge’s Comment

Reacting to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent statement that only the party high command would decide on leadership changes, the BJP criticised him sharply.

Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said Kharge had no real say in such matters and claimed that it’s only the Gandhi family that makes major decisions in the Congress.

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