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Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar meet hits ‘impasse’ as both stick to their positions amid power tussle: Sources
Siddaramaiah urged DK Shivakumar to take over the chief minister post after the next Assembly elections in the state in 2028, sources told HT.
The much-anticipated breakfast meeting between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar has hit a “bit of an impasse”, sources told HT on Saturday. Amid the ongoing power tussle and speculation over leadership change in Karnataka, both leaders stuck to their positions during the meeting.
Siddaramaiah urged DK Shivakumar to take over the chief minister post after the next Assembly elections in the state in 2028, sources added.
The meeting came in the backdrop of a power tussle in Karnataka after the Congress-led state government completed two-and-a-half years in power. After Siddaramaiah assumed the CM post back in 2023, a “rotational CM arrangement” or “power-sharing deal” was reportedly agreed upon.
As part of the apparent arrangement, DK Shivakumar was supposed to take over the CM role after Siddaramaiah completed half of his tenure.
Amid buzz over a possible leadership change, Siddaramaiah had invited his deputy over for breakfast this morning. The development came after the Congress high command urged both senior leaders to discuss the matter.
First visuals from their Saturday morning meet shared by Shivakumar showed him and Siddaramaiah seated on a dining table. “A productive discussion on Karnataka’s priorities and the road ahead,” Shivakumar said in a tweet.
While Shivakumar recently denied holding talks with the Congress high command on replacing Siddaramaiah, some of his cryptic posts online kept the buzz alive.
His social media posts emphasised on “keeping one’s word is greatest strength” and “word power is world power”. In what was seen as a response, Siddaramaiah had cited the “mandate given by the people” and said that he plans to complete his full term of five years.
A high-stakes meeting of senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge is reportedly on the cards, scheduled for Sunday, November 30.
According to news agency ANI, the Congress high command will discuss the Karnataka leadership tussle in the Strategy Group meeting ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament.
