Bengaluru, Jun 28 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra on Saturday asserted that his father would complete his full five-year term in office.
Dismissing ongoing speculation about a change in leadership, Yathindra said Siddaramaiah enjoys the full support of both the Congress high command and party MLAs.
Speaking to reporters here, the Congress MLC stated, "The government is functioning very smoothly, and there are no obstacles. The Congress high command has neither spoken of any leadership change nor given any such indication. Hence, Siddaramaiah will continue for the full five years."
His remarks come days after Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna claimed that a leadership change was likely in September, citing the existence of multiple "power centres" within the ruling Congress.
Asked about Rajanna’s comments, Yathindra said, "Only the minister can explain the context of his statement."
He noted that such rumours have been circulating since the formation of the government.
"From the beginning, there had been talk that Siddaramaiah would be removed within six months. Later, it was said he would be replaced after the MUDA case came to light — but nothing of the sort has happened," he said.
Yathindra downplayed the speculation, calling it routine in politics.
"People keep speaking about a change of guard, but no such development has taken place, nor will it happen in the future," he said.
He attributed the recurring rumours to groups within the party that wish to see their own candidates in the chief minister’s chair.
"These groups will continue to spread such talk, but ever since this government came to power, the high command has extended its full support and continues to do so. The MLAs are also firmly behind my father," Yathindra asserted.
On Rajanna’s claim that there are three to four camps within the Congress, Yathindra responded, "You will have to ask the minister why he made that statement. I am unaware of any such groups. As far as I know, the government is functioning smoothly."
Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah asked reporters in Bengaluru to ignore Rajanna's statement.
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Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
