His comments come just a day after Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar met senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Delhi, sparking fresh rumours about a mid-term power shift within the party.
Rejecting any concerns about instability, Siddaramaiah said such leadership discussions were unnecessary and based on unfounded speculation. He acknowledged that there are several leaders within the Congress who may aspire to become Chief Minister but emphasised that the final decision rests with the party leadership. “Whatever decision is taken by the high command, both D.K. Shivakumar and I will follow it,” he said.
Siddaramaiah also addressed the buzz around internal factionalism, stating, “There are supporters of D.K. Shivakumar, and there are supporters of me as well. They are making their statements on their own.”
He dismissed any suggestion of a rift between him and Shivakumar, calling it baseless. “There is no vacancy as far as the Chief Minister’s chair is concerned. This has been said by D.K. Shivakumar himself. Then where is the question of a tussle between me and D.K. Shivakumar?” he said.
