DKS Loyalists Visit Delhi Amid Leadership Change Buzz

New Delhi: Rumours of a leadership change in Karnataka have intensified as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah approaches the halfway mark of his term. Supporters and MLAs loyal to Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar are arriving in Delhi to meet the Congress high command and press for a change in leadership.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, however, dismissed speculation of a so-called “November revolution,” calling it a “media creation.”

“It is you (media) who coined the term. You cooked up this ‘revolution’. There is no kranti (revolution) or bhranti (confusion). We have been given a five-year mandate. After five years, elections will take place and we will win again,” Siddaramaiah told reporters. He added that he has been strong from the beginning and sees no reason for concern.

When asked whether he would complete the full five-year term, he said such discussions were unnecessary. “I had told the high command that two-and-a-half years must pass, after which a Cabinet reshuffle could be considered. Only then did these power-sharing discussions begin.”

On whether a date has been fixed for a reshuffle, he said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is in discussions with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

Siddaramaiah reiterated that the Congress has a five-year mandate and the government’s focus is on fulfilling the five key guarantees made to the people.

Meanwhile, supporters of D.K. Shivakumar have publicly intensified their demand for a leadership change. Chants backing him as the next Chief Minister have become louder across sections of the party.

Three MLAs backing Shivakumar are already in New Delhi seeking appointments with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal. More MLAs are expected to reach the capital on Friday to meet the leadership.

Shivakumar, who is both Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress president, fuelled speculation earlier in the day when he remarked at a party event in Bengaluru, “I cannot hold the post permanently… it has already been five-and-a-half years, and in March it will be six.”

With a Cabinet reshuffle expected soon, insiders say the current muscle-flexing is aimed at securing more Cabinet berths or key chairman posts. However, they maintain that, as of now, there is no change of leadership planned in the state.