Banglore : CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar met for breakfast on Saturday in a bid to ease tensions and address the party’s internal power crisis. The breakfast meeting comes a day after the Congress high command intervened, asking both leaders to meet in order to resolve their differences. Legal advisor to the Chief Minister, AS Ponnanna, was also present at the meeting. Following the meeting, Shivakumar is scheduled to travel to Delhi to meet the party high command, including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi.
In the breakfast meeting, the two leaders are expected to iron out the details of what is being called the Shivakumar-Siddaramaiah compromise formula. During the meeting, Siddaramaiah in a post on X shared pictures with his deputy and said that they engaged in a “brief discussion.”A few minutes after Siddaramaiah’s post on X, DK Shivakumar also shared a picture from the Chief Minister’s residence, showing him having breakfast with CM and said that they had a “productive discussion on Karnataka’s priorities and future plans.”
Before leaving for the CM’s residence, Shivakumar declined to comment and said he would speak after coming out of Siddaramaiah’s residence. Shivakumar has reaffirmed his loyalty to the Congress and had said that any decision regarding the party’s leadership will be made by the high command. Meanwhile, CM Siddharamaiah has maintained his stance. The high command has called both of us, so I have invited him (DK Shivakumar) for breakfast, and we will talk there.
The speculation around the leadership change in Karnataka refuses to die down, with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar reportedly involved in an intense power tussle for the Chief Minister post. Infighting has resurfaced within the Congress as factions push for their preferred leader to occupy the Chief Minister’s post, a tension dating back to the party’s 2023 Assembly election victory.
While Siddaramaiah assumed the CM role, reports indicated an informal power-sharing arrangement, and Shivakumar’s supporters have grown more vocal as Siddaramaiah completes 2.5 years in office. Siddaramaiah has repeatedly affirmed his intention to serve the full term, while Shivakumar’s comments suggest the Congress prefers to keep discussions on the matter under wraps. Both leaders, however, have stated they will respect the party high command’s final decision.
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