Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said there is no confusion within the party high command over the chief minister’s post in Karnataka, asserting that the issue exists only at the local level.
Kharge’s remarks come as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar continue to make separate assertions on the state’s leadership, amid talk of a possible power shift.
“The high command hasn’t created any confusion. It exists at the local level. How is it right to put the blame on the high command?” Kharge told reporters in Kalaburagi, according to PTI. He also urged party leaders to take responsibility for internal disagreements instead of attributing them to the central leadership.
Without naming anyone, Kharge cautioned against individual claims of credit for the Congress’ electoral success in Karnataka.
“Everyone has built the party. It’s not any individual’s effort. Congress has been built by party workers,” he said. The power tussle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar traces back to the Congress’ victory in the May 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, when Siddaramaiah was named chief minister and Shivakumar his deputy.
An informal and never-confirmed “2.5-year formula” has since remained a point of political speculation.
The buzz resurfaced after the state government completed half its term last month. While Shivakumar has said the party high command will decide the timing of discussions in Delhi, Siddaramaiah has reiterated that he will complete a full five-year term and dismissed any half-term arrangement.
“I am confident that the high command will allow me to complete five years,” Siddaramaiah said.
