‘Full five-year term’: Another Cong MLA roots for DKS as Karnataka CM; Siddaramaiah holds ground

NEW DELHI: After a fresh debate on change of guard was reignited, Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that will complete the full term as Karntaka chief minister.”I will be chief minister for full five-year term,” Siddaramaiah said.This comes after Kunigal Congress MLA H D Ranganath said that he wished to see his “political Guru,” deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar, ascending the chief minister’s chair one day.He urged the party high command to “recognise” Shivakumar’s role in securing Congress’ victory with 140 seats in the 224-member Karnataka assembly in 2023.”For me, my political Guru is D K Shivakumar. We have seen how he does social service, achieved administrative acumen and carried out development,” Ranganath said.”Every leader today says that Congress got 140 seats (in the Karnataka assembly) due to his efforts. So the party high command should decide due position and recognition for him,” he added.”It is obvious to expect that the high command should decide keeping in view the wish of Congress workers, cadres and the voters of Karnataka,” he said, adding that he hoped it would become a reality “in the coming days.”When asked when this would happen, Ranganath replied that he was “too small to make such prophecies,” and that it was for the high command to decide. “Presently, our chief minister Siddaramaiah introduced the five guarantees keeping in mind the poor populace of the state, which is model for the country but D K Shivakumar will become Chief Minister in the coming days,” he insisted.Asked specifically whether Shivakumar would become CM in November this year, Ranganath said he would not comment as he had no such information. “It is left to the high command,” he maintained.Earlier, several Congress MLAs had advocated for Shivkumar to be made the chief minister.Former Mandya MP L R Shivarame Gowda also asserted that there was no doubt about Shivakumar’sfuture.”But who should decide this? The party high command. The high command knows when and what should be done and how to take forward the party along with Chief Minister and the DCM together,” Gowda told reporters in Mandya.The latest comments come despite a stern warning from the party leadership to Congress cadres against speaking publicly about a leadership change in Karnataka. Several leaders have already been served show-cause notices for such remarks.Earlier, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala was sent to Karnataka as a troubleshooter by the party high command. He had said that there would be no change in leadership and Siddaramaiah will continue as chief minister.On July 11 this year, Siddaramaiah also categorically stated that he would complete his full five-year term as chief minister, quelling speculation of a mid-term arrangement.There were speculations earlier about a ‘pact’ under which Siddaramaiah would lead the government for the first half of the five-year tenure, followed by Shivakumar for the remaining two-and-a-half years. That first phase is set to end in November—now just a month away.