DK Shivakumar may get CM post in 2-3 months, claims MLA HA Iqbal Hussain
Bengaluru, June 29 (PTI): Karnataka Congress MLA H A Iqbal Hussain on Sunday claimed that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar may get an opportunity to become the Chief Minister of the state within the next two to three months.
These remarks from a legislator considered close to Shivakumar come amid renewed speculation about a leadership change in Karnataka later this year.
The buzz resurfaced following Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna's recent statement hinting at "revolutionary" political developments in the state after September.
You all know what our (Congress's) strength was before this government came to power. Everyone knows who put in the struggle, sweat, effort and interest to achieve this victory. His (Shivakumar’s) strategy and programmes are history now, Hussain told reporters in Ramanagara, when asked if Shivakumar had a chance to become CM.
"I don’t believe in speculation. We have full confidence that the high command is aware of the situation and will take an appropriate decision at the right time to give him an opportunity," he added.
When asked if Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president, would become CM this year, Hussain replied, "Yes, I’m saying it. The date some leaders are hinting at for revolutionary political developments after September—this is what they are talking about. A decision will be made within two to three months."
Pressed further, he reiterated, "That's what I'm saying. I’m not beating around the bush; I’m speaking directly."
When asked about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son and Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah dismissing the CM change as mere speculation, Hussain pointed out that the Congress high command had decided on government formation after the 2023 Assembly polls.
"We were all together in Delhi then. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge made the decision. Everyone knows that. They will take the next decision too—we’ll have to wait and watch," he said.
Speculation about a leadership change within the ruling Congress has persisted for some time, linked to an alleged power-sharing agreement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Such talk had died down after strong instructions from the party high command.
After the Congress won the Assembly elections in May 2023, there was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the CM's post.
The Congress managed to convince Shivakumar to accept the Deputy CM role.
Reports at the time suggested a "rotational CM formula," with Shivakumar set to take over after two-and-a-half years, though this was never officially confirmed.
Shivakumar has made no secret of his ambition to become Chief Minister.
Responding to Rajanna’s comments about "revolutionary" political changes, Hussain said that allowing a deserving person cannot be called a revolution.
"What does revolution mean? Changes are common in politics. When the time comes, the high command will decide who should be given the responsibility. A suitable person, capable of providing good administration in today’s circumstances, will get the opportunity and do their duty. There is an expectation for change, but it cannot be called a revolution," he said.
Pointing out that the Congress is already in power, Hussain claimed, "If another party were overthrowing this government, that could be called a revolution. But nothing like that is happening—the government is strong and has a clear majority."
Responding to Rajanna’s claims about multiple power centres within the Congress, Hussain dismissed them, saying, "There is only one power centre—the party high command."
"There is discipline and commitment in the Congress, and everyone follows it. People from different communities have worked for the party, and they have sacrificed and fought for it. In today’s situation, there is an expectation for change, and that change will happen—but it cannot be called a revolution," he claimed.
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FIDE Women's World Cup final: Humpy draws with Divya in first game
Batumi (Georgia), Jul 26 (PTI): Young Indian International Master Divya Deshmukh held her nerves to hold stalwart Koneru Humpy to a draw in game 1 of the FIDE Women's World Cup final, with both players having their share of opportunities to take the lead here on Saturday.
The draw with black means Humpy, the two-time World Rapid champion, holds a slight edge going in the second and final game under the classical chess rules in the two-game mini-match, and should the deadlock continue, games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner.
Humpy employed the Queen's gambit accepted as black and it turned out to be a pretty fascinating game right out of the opening as Divya, 19, came up with a piece sacrifice early to deny the black king the right to castle.
Humpy was the first to err and, according to computers, Divya had things under control on the 14th move. However in her bid to recover the extra material, the Nagpur girl, who has secured a place in the Candidates tournament with her sterling performance here, missed a promising continuation.
What followed the exchange of all minor pieces and the ensuing queen and rook endgame gave enough counter play to both players. The game was eventually drawn after Humpy sacrificed her rook to force perpetual checks.
"The game saw an extremely sharp battle with the game ending in a draw in 41 moves. On move 7, Divya made her aggressive intentions clear by offering another pawn,
which looked like home preparation. Humpy made a practical decision of refraining from taking the pawn and a balanced position was reached by move 10 by white," said Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, an Arjuna awardee and the first Indian to get a chess Grandmaster norm.
"However, instead of developing the undeveloped Knight, Humpy retreated the centralised Knight on move 10, giving huge positional advantage to Divya. Divya could have gained huge positional advantage on the 12th move by moving a rook. However, she chose to play for King side attack by sacrificing a piece instead.
"Humpy, too, erred at this stage and instead of moving the King to Queen side, moved it to the King side. Divya, on move 14, could have obtained a crushing attack by threatening a mate by developing her Queen. Instead she chose to exchange a pair of Bishops first, which enabled Humpy to defend her King by returning the piece," said Thipsay.
"Players thus reached a balanced Queen and two Rooks ending. Divya continued to play ambitiously and tried to attack Humpy’s King but the latter defended accurately and the game was drawn in 41 moves by perpetual check," he added.
In the play-off for the third place, Chinese players Zhongyi Tan, the former women's world champion and top seed Lei Tingjie also decided to split points out of a Queen’s gambit declined game.
The opening raised visions of a close contest between the two but having been knocked out of title race in the previous round, none of them wanted to take any huge risk. It was still a middle game when the players shook hands.
With the top two positions sealed for the Indians, the berth to the next Candidates is also assigned, while the player finishing third will also get an entry to the premier event scheduled for 2026.
Results: Divya Deshmukh (Ind) drew with Koneru Humpy (Ind); Zhongyi Tan (Chn) drew with Tingjie Lei (Chn).
