NEW DELHI: Amid persistent speculation over a possible change of chief minister in Karnataka, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said the party high command will take a call, adding that he had “nothing to say now.” His comments came a day after he held a meeting of over an hour with chief minister Siddaramaiah.“I have nothing to say about the developments that have happened. So you standing here is a waste of your time and I too feel bad. Whatever it is, the high command will do it. There is no need for you to worry more about it,” Kharge told reporters outside his residence, as quoted by PTI.Speculation around leadership change has intensified after the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, triggering renewed talk on whether the party will revisit the power-sharing understanding between Siddaramaiah and deputy CM D K Shivakumar.After his meeting with Kharge on Saturday – the second in less than a week – Siddaramaiah said he would abide by the party’s decision on his tenure. He, however, described the buzz around a leadership change as “speculation and media creation.”The meeting followed visits by several MLAs reportedly aligned with Shivakumar to Delhi to meet Kharge as the government completed 2.5 years. Shivakumar has denied knowledge of any such meetings. On Sunday, ministers H C Mahadevappa and K Venkatesh, both seen as close to the CM, also met Kharge.Party insiders say the immediate point of friction is Siddaramaiah’s push for a cabinet reshuffle, while Shivakumar’s supporters want clarity on any leadership change before that. Approval for a reshuffle, they say, would signal that Siddaramaiah is set to complete a full term, reducing the chances of Shivakumar moving into the top post.Following the Congress victory in the May 2023 Assembly elections, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had engaged in a keen contest for the chief ministership before the party settled on Siddaramaiah and made Shivakumar his deputy. There were reports then of a “rotational chief minister” understanding after 2.5 years, though the party never confirmed it.(With input from agency)
