Video credits: @BJP4Karnataka
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released an AI-generated video mocking Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, as speculation over a possible leadership change in the Congress government gained momentum again.The BJP’s Karnataka unit posted the clip on its official X account, showing Shivakumar attempting to buy a “chief minister chair” online. When he tries to add it to the cart, an “out of stock” message appears. The post was captioned, “DK Shivakumar right now.” The video comes at a time when Shivakumar’s supporters are renewing demands for his elevation to chief minister, as the Congress government completes the halfway mark of its five-year term.Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain expressed his confidence in Shivakumar’s chances. “I always stand by that statement… 200 per cent, he will become the CM soon. The high command will decide. As our leader (Shivakumar) said, the transfer of power is a secret deal among five to six party leaders, and those five to six people will decide,” he said.After the 2023 assembly election, Shivakumar had been persuaded by the Congress to accept the deputy chief minister position. A group of Karnataka Congress legislators travelled to New Delhi on Tuesday to meet senior party leaders, saying the high command would make the final decision on whether Shivakumar should be elevated. Reports suggest that at least 15 MLAs and around a dozen MLCs have camped in Delhi to push the party leadership to make Shivakumar the next chief minister, as the Congress government reaches its mid-term milestone on November 20.Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, however, has indicated he has no plans to step down, interpreting the leadership’s silence as tacit support for his position. “Has the high command spoken on it? We can’t help it. Earlier also some people were discussing it, and now they might have gone (to Delhi). Finally, Shivakumar and I have to listen to whatever the high command says,” he said when asked about the MLAs and MLCs in Delhi.Asked whether he would present the next two state budgets, Siddaramaiah retorted, “Why are you asking this? Yes, I will continue. I will present the budgets in future also.”