Top News

Siddaramaiah Shuts Down Karnataka CM Change Buzz: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah put an end to rumors of a CM change and the discussion of power sharing on Friday by declaring that he was elected for a five-year term and would serve out his “full term” until the High Command gave him the command to do differently.

“As the Chief Minister, I shall carry out my duties as directed by the High Command. On the Karnataka Assembly floor, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “I have been elected for five years.”

Siddaramaiah said that there was no power-sharing agreement on serving for two and a half years, and that he would serve his “full term.”

A dinner gathering of Congress MLAs who are said to be close to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah earlier on Wednesday in Belagavi created political excitement inside the governing party and fueled rumors about the state’s leadership and power-sharing arrangements.

More than thirty MLAs attended the event, which was hosted by senior minister Satish Jarkiholi in a major hotel, according to reports quoted by news agency PTI. Others acknowledged that important political issues were also addressed at the meeting, while others downplayed the occasion as a typical social gathering during the Assembly’s winter session.

This latest event stokes rumors of a possible leadership transition as the Congress administration finished the first half of its five-year term on November 20. In what is generally seen as an effort to diffuse the leadership dispute, Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar recently had breakfast at each other’s houses at the order of the party high command, despite persistent claims of a power-sharing deal between the two leaders.