Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
NEW DELHI: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday dismissed claims of a two-and-a-half-year “power-sharing arrangement” within the state government. Facing repeated questions from the Opposition over his tenure on the last day of the Legislative Assembly session in Belagavi, Siddaramaiah said there was no such agreement in place and made it clear that he would remain the CM until the party high command decides otherwise.“First, the people must bless us. Then the legislators elect the leader in the Legislative Party meeting, and after that, the high command decides. That is all I have said. Even now, I am the Chief Minister, and I will remain the Chief Minister until the high command decides otherwise,” he said.Reacting to Siddaramaiah’s remarks, BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, R Ashoka, questioned the claim, saying, “You were elected for five years by the Legislative Party. What about 2.5 years?”Siddaramaiah responded, “I never said anything about two and a half years. There is no such agreement as two and half years.”Earlier this week, the CM reiterated that he would complete his full term. “We will complete the full term and return to power in 2028…I’m the CM till the high command says,” Siddaramaiah said.Speculation over a possible change in leadership, with Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar taking over the CM seat in January gained momentum over the past few days. The Congress later sought to put the rumours to rest after Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar met for breakfast at each other’s residences and addressed the media together to project party unity. DK Shivakumar also dismissed speculation surrounding a reported dinner meeting. “Who said? There was no dinner meeting or anything. I had gone for a dinner to my former DCC president to pay respect, they contributed a lot to Karnataka, Belgavi. So to honor them, I went along with my friends. There is no other politics,” he said.
