Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain reiterated his confidence that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar will "200 per cent" become the next Chief Minister of Karnataka. Hussain, who was part of the group of MLAs that travelled to New Delhi to meet senior Congress leaders to push for Shivakumar's elevation, made the remarks on Tuesday.
However, the MLAs said on Tuesday that the high command would take a final call on the demand to elevate DK Shivakumar as the next chief minister.
Will become the CM soon
"I always stand by that statement… 200 per cent, he will become the CM soon. The high command will decide," news agency PTI quoted Hussain as saying.
Echoing Shivakumar's earlier comments, the MLA added. "As our leader said, the transfer of power is a secret deal among five to six party leaders, and those five to six people will decide."
The remarks come amid continued murmurs within the party about a possible power-sharing arrangement between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. However, the Congress leadership has repeatedly denied any such agreement.
MLAs requested to end confusion over CM issue
While some Congress MLAs said they had urged the high command to end the confusion over the chief ministerial issue at the earliest, others mentioned that they also sought greater opportunities for young or new faces in the upcoming cabinet reshuffle.
The internal power struggle within the ruling party has sharpened amid speculation of a possible change in leadership after the government completed half of its five-year term on November 20. The buzz stems from reports of an alleged power-sharing formula agreed upon between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM Shivakumar in 2023.
According to party sources, a group of six MLAs backing Shivakumar travelled to New Delhi on Sunday night to meet senior leaders, with a few more expected to follow.
Last week, nearly 10 MLAs had already met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in this regard.
Magadi MLA HC Balakrishna reiterated that the final decision on the next chief minister lies solely with the party high command but appealed for an early resolution to "end the prevailing uncertainty."
"We went to discuss with the high command to clear the confusion because a final decision is needed. Who becomes CM is not important; the current situation is detrimental to the Congress party. The high command should intervene and put an end to this," he said, without confirming whether Shivakumar would be made CM or if the topic was discussed with the leadership.
Maddur MLA K M Uday said legislators also requested the high command to give opportunities to fresh faces and youngsters during the cabinet reshuffle and had received indications that this would be considered.
On the demand for Shivakumar to become CM, he said the party leadership will decide, and everyone will abide by it.
Some senior MLAs urged the high command to resolve the confusion over leadership change, and Uday said a decision is expected soon.
Earlier, responding to reports that legislators supporting him had gone to Delhi to demand his elevation as CM, Shivakumar said he was unaware and suggested they might be seeking ministerial positions. "I have not called or spoken to any of them. I am not asking why they went. I don't need to," he said.
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