Karnataka Minister MB Patil put an end to rumors swirling about a potential shake-up in the state’s leadership on Friday. He made it clear that there’s no drama in the Karnataka Congress high command, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is committed to serving his full five-year term.
Talking to reporters in Vijaypura, Patil said, “There is no controversy in the Karnataka high command. There’s no question about this. The chief minister has already told everyone that he will continue for five years.”
This comes amid some internal friction in the Congress party. On October 2, Karnataka Congress working president GC Chandrashekhar fired back at party leaders HD Ranganath and LR Shivarame Gowda for fueling talk of a Chief Minister change. He urged them to stay quiet and revealed that KPCC President DK Shivakumar had ordered show-cause notices for the duo.
Chandrashekhar added that the party will take action against them for their comments. Sure enough, the Karnataka Congress issued notices on Thursday to Gowda, a former MP, and Ranganath, a Tumkur MLA. The letters demanded explanations for statements hinting that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar could become the next Chief Minister.
The notice to Gowda called out his recent media remarks as “unruly” and a clear breach of party discipline. It pointed out that he ignored All India Congress Committee (AICC) guidelines against public comments that could confuse or embarrass the party. Gowda has one week to respond.
Ranganath faced a similar notice after praising Shivakumar as his “political guru” and saying he’d love to see him in the CM chair. He even called Shivakumar a “rising star” and a national leader.
Gowda had doubled down earlier, telling reporters there’s “no doubt” Shivakumar will take over as Chief Minister. He claimed the party high command promised both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar two-and-a-half years each in the top job, with a decision coming in November. “Those who have worked for the party will benefit 100 percent,” Gowda said.
Shivakumar himself stepped in to calm things down. He warned fellow Congress members against publicly debating a leadership switch in the Karnataka government. “We don’t need to react to what the BJP says. Let them say what they want,” he told reporters. “I’ve instructed our working president, GC Chandrashekhar, to give notices to those talking about the CM post. No one should say anything related to it.”
Shivakumar stressed unity, adding, “No need to discuss CM post sharing. Siddaramaiah and I are working together. We’re following the high command’s guidelines.” This pushback highlights the Congress party’s efforts to keep focus on governance amid ongoing political speculation in Karnataka.
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