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Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday, October 6, dismissed speculation about a possible change in leadership, asserting that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will serve his full five-year term, according to a PTI report.
“The Chief Minister himself has said he will be in the post for five years. Then where is the issue? Doesn’t he have that responsibility? The CM of a state has a responsibility, and with that in mind, he has made it clear that he will remain for five years. That ends the matter,” Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru, the report said.
He also dismissed suggestions of internal discord within the ruling Congress. “They may express their opinions, but if you [the media] stay quiet, things will be fine. It’s only getting attention because of you,” he said, responding to repeated remarks from some Congress leaders about a possible change in leadership.
Speculation over a leadership change dates back to reports of a power-sharing formula between Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar after the May 2023 Assembly elections. While the Congress chose Siddaramaiah as CM and Shivakumar as his deputy, there were claims of a rotational arrangement under which Shivakumar would take over midway through the term, something the party has never officially confirmed.
Last week, Kunigal MLA HD Ranganath and former Mandya MP LR Shivarame Gowda reignited the debate, with Gowda suggesting Shivakumar could become chief minister by November. Siddaramaiah, however, has repeatedly maintained that he will serve the full term, noting that he has already completed two and a half years of his second stint in office.