Amid swirling rumours about a potential change in Karnataka’s leadership, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday reiterated that the matter has already been addressed, and there’s no need to repeatedly discuss it.
Responding to persistent questions over whether he would replace Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar stated, “The answer has already been given by CM Siddaramaiah and Randeep Surjewala. When an answer has been provided, it’s not good to speak again and again. Repeating the same question is also not right.”
Asked about some MLAs expressing support for him as the next Chief Minister, he downplayed the remarks, saying, “There will always be aspirational statements—maybe from you as well—but it’s unnecessary to comment further.”
Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah also firmly rejected the speculation, asserting that no discussion on a leadership change has taken place with the Congress high command.
“This issue was not discussed at all with the high command,” Siddaramaiah told reporters in Delhi, following a meeting with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior leaders.
The meeting, along with recent one-on-one interactions between Karnataka Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and state MLAs, had triggered speculation about a possible leadership handover to Shivakumar. However, Siddaramaiah clarified that Surjewala had explicitly stated that the meetings were unrelated to any change in the CM post.
Calling the leadership change rumours a media creation, Siddaramaiah added, “There is no room for such speculation within the Congress. Both I and DK Shivakumar have always said we will follow the high command’s decision.”
