Congress high command to decide: Kharge on leadership change in Karnataka

Amid open discussions among Congress leaders in Karnataka about a possible change in the state's chief minister, party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday (June 30) stated that such decisions rest with the party high command and urged leaders not to create unnecessary issues.

Kharge was responding to media queries regarding claims by some Congress leaders that a leadership change could take place in October.

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“Look, that decision lies with the high command. No one here can say what’s happening at that level. It’s entirely up to them, and they have the authority to take further action. But there’s no need to create unnecessary problems,” he told reporters in Bengaluru. His remarks came amid growing speculation that DK Shivakumar could soon be appointed as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka.

Tejasvi Surya takes a dig

Meanwhile, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya seized the opportunity to pose a pointed question: Who exactly is this “unseen, unheard” high command? Taking a dig at Mallikarjun Kharge, Surya questioned if not the Congress president, then who is this high command that is “always felt”?

In a post on X, Surya took a sharp dig at Kharge and wrote: “The Congress High Command is like a ghost. It is unseen, unheard, but always felt. Even the Congress President, who people thought is the high command, whispers its name and says it’s not him. So eerie!”

Standard response

Interestingly, the term ‘high command’ has become the Congress party’s standard response amid internal support for either Siddaramaiah or Shivakumar as the chief minister. Back in February, when asked about speculation over a leadership change, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah gave a similar reply, stating, “It is for the high command to decide.”

In April, Karnataka Congress MLA Basavaraj Shivaganga, a known loyalist of Shivakumar, openly demanded that Siddaramaiah be replaced by December. His statement underscored the persistent factionalism within the state Congress, despite the high command’s directive against airing internal disputes publicly.

Surjewala in Bengaluru

Congress Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala is currently in Bengaluru to hold private meetings with around 100 MLAs, in what sources describe as a damage-control exercise.

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In 2023, when the Congress assumed power in the southern state, there were speculations that Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar would helm the state for 2.5 years each, as per a rotational formula, claims the party has neither confirmed nor rejected so far. Currently, Siddaramaiah is the chief minister and Shivakumar is his deputy.

(With agency inputs)