Karnataka power tussle: Kharge says issue will be resolved after discussions with Sonia, Rahul

Amid speculation over leadership change in Karnataka, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the issue will be resolved after discussions at the top level with senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified in the recent weeks amid murmurs about a CM change in the state after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20 in the backdrop of an alleged "power-sharing" agreement involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in 2023.

"The high command - myself, Rahul ji and Sonia ji will together take a decision on the issue and resolve it," Kharge told PTI, when asked about the issue of leadership change in Karnataka.

Talk of leadership tussle in the Congress government in Karnataka has refused to die down, with Siddaramaiah putting the onus on party high command to put a "full stop to the confusion", even as Shivakumar has said that there is a "secret deal between 5-6 of us" in the party on the issue of sharing power.

Responding to a question about legislators backing Shivakumar travelling to Delhi, Siddaramaiah had said on Tuesday, "Let them go. MLAs have freedom. Let's see what opinion they give. Ultimately, the high command has to make the decision. We will abide by what the high command says."

On a section of legislators appealing to the high command to put the matter to rest, he said, "Whatever they (legislators) want to say, let them say to the high command. Ultimately, to put a full stop to this confusion, the high command has to take the decision."

Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, said on Tuesday that he doesn't want to speak on the matter in public as there was a "secret deal" between "5-6 of us" in the party and that he believes in his conscience.

"I don't know. I have not asked to make me the CM. It is a secret deal between five and six of us. I don't want to speak publicly on this. I believe in my conscience. We should work with our conscience. I don't want to cause embarrassment to the party in any way and weaken it. If the party is there, we are there. If karyakartas are there, we are there," Shivakumar said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters in his home constituency Kanakapura, he had said, "The CM has spoken. He is a senior leader. He is an asset for the party. He has completed 7.5 years as CM (including the 2013-2018 term)."

On Siddaramaiah stating he will be presenting the next budget too, the deputy CM said: "I'm very happy. He had served as opposition leader in the past. He has also worked and built the party. We should all work together with the target of 2028 (assembly polls) and target 2029 (Lok Sabha election)."

Asked whether there was a power sharing agreement after the Assembly polls in 2023, Shivakumar said, "Why should I speak about it? You (media) have written things."