Siddaramaiah says he'll continue as Karnataka CM for 5 yrs if Congress high command decides
Mangaluru (PTI); Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he would continue in office for the full five year term, subject to the Congress high command's decision.
There has been speculation about a possible change in leadership when the Congress government reaches the halfway mark of its five-year term in November—a phase being referred to by some as the "November revolution". However, amid the talk of a leadership change, Siddaramaiah has consistently reiterated that he will complete a full five-year term.
Responding to a question on whether he would remain chief minister for five years, Siddaramaiah told reporters, "If the high command decides."
Asked about his close confidant and former minister K N Rajanna's statement that Siddaramaiah should continue as CM for five years, he said, "It is his personal opinion".
On multiple chief ministerial aspirants within the Congress, Siddaramaiah said, "In a democracy, we cannot tell those in the race not to compete. It is their right. Anyone may claim to be a chief ministerial candidate, but ultimately, the high command will decide."
To another query as to why the issue of a change in leadership keeps surfacing, he replied, "It is because you (the media) keep asking."
Speculation about a leadership change within the ruling Congress has persisted for some time, with reports suggesting an alleged power-sharing agreement between Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
There was stiff competition between the two leaders for the top post after the Assembly election results in May 2023. The Congress high command had eventually convinced Shivakumar to take up the post of deputy CM.
At the time, reports indicated that a "rotational chief minister" arrangement had been agreed upon, under which Shivakumar would take over after two and a half years. However, the party has never officially confirmed this.
Earlier in the day, Rajanna, a Congress MLA from the Madhugiri constituency, told media in Bengaluru that Siddaramaiah was "indispensable" to the Congress.
"I have said it earlier in the Assembly—just as B S Yediyurappa is indispensable for the BJP and the Deve Gowda family for the JD(S), Siddaramaiah is indispensable for the Congress. Everyone accepts this as the truth, though some say nobody is indispensable to the party. From my experience, I can say Siddaramaiah is indeed indispensable to the Congress," he said.
Rajanna added that if the party high command allows Siddaramaiah to go ahead with a cabinet reshuffle as the government completes 2.5 years in office, his leadership will remain "unaffected". If permission is not granted, he said, there could be "political activities".
He also downplayed Shivakumar's visit to New Delhi, saying it might be related to a court case or personal matters. "He may meet the high command and Rahul Gandhi as the state Congress chief and will abide by the instructions they give," Rajanna said.
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BJP to fight Assam polls on twin planks of development, secure state
Guwahati (PTI): In a bid to win the Assam Assembly elections for the third time in a row, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday advised the state BJP brass to fight on twin planks: development and a secure state.
Shah, who wound up a two-day visit to Assam, held a nearly two-hour-long meeting with senior leaders of the BJP state unit at the party headquarters here, with a focus on discussing strategy for the state elections, expected in March-April.
Briefing reporters after the closed-door meeting, BJP Assam president Dilip Saikia said, "Development and a secure Assam will be our twin electoral planks."
He also said that Shah, known for his expertise in electoral politics, has offered valuable suggestions, and based on it, an action plan to retain power in the state will be formulated soon.
“Discussions were held in detail on our organisational and political calendars. Shah ji offered some very valuable suggestions, and we will implement those at the earliest…We will share more details on the action plan soon,” Saikia said.
He further said that the Union minister exhorted the state party leadership to ensure that not only do they secure a ‘massive landslide victory’ but also bag more seats than in the previous election.
The BJP currently leads a coalition government in Assam with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), while the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) has also extended support.
In the 126-member Assembly, the BJP now has 64 legislators, while its allies AGP, UPPL and BPF have nine, seven and three memnbers, respectively. In the opposition camp, the Congress’ strength is 26, while AIUDF has 15 members and CPI(M) one. There is an Independent legislator also, belonging to Raijor Dal.
Saikia said that the party will continue to contest the state polls in coalition with its NDA allies, which was also favoured by Shah.
Dismissing reports of chinks in the ruling coalition, the Lok Sabha MP said, “As far as the NDA is concerned, we are united in Assam. There could be discussions about some issues on individual party forums.”
The saffron party has maintained that its alliance with the regional parties will continue, and formalities like seat-sharing arrangements are being worked out.
Shah, who was on his second visit to the state within a month, attended two other events in Dibrugarh and Dheamji earlier in the day. He left for West Bengal after the meeting at the Guwahati state party headquarters.
