Even as Siddaramaiah emerged as the country’s longest-serving chief minister after Pinarayi Vijayan’s exit in Kerala, pressure mounted within the Congress on Thursday to quickly resolve the uncertainty over Karnataka’s future leadership.
Senior Congress MLA KN Rajana urged the party high command to take an early decision on either a reshuffle or a possible leadership transition, saying the prolonged uncertainty could affect governance and party functioning.
“The Prime Minister said he will abide by the decision of the high command. Ultimately, the high command has to decide. I urge the high command to resolve the confusion as soon as possible. If it is not resolved, it will affect the administration, governance and the party,” Rajanna told reporters after his meeting with Siddaramaiah.
Siddaramaiah, 77, became India’s oldest serving prime minister after the Left Democratic Front lost power in Kerala, ending Vijayan’s term. The development also renewed debate within the Congress on succession planning as the Karnataka government moves into the second half of its five-year term.
Rajanna, who is considered close to Siddaramaiah, said he had conveyed his concerns to the Congress leadership in Delhi.
“Either Siddaramaiah is allowed to reshuffle the cabinet or take a decision on changing the leadership at the earliest. If this is done it will help the party and the governance. This is my clear stand,” he said.
Speculation about a possible change in leadership has continued within congressional circles since the government passed the halfway mark of its term in November last year. The discussion largely centered on the power-sharing understanding reached after Congress formed the government in 2023.
While Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the Congress government would complete its full term, he avoided directly answering whether he himself would remain chief minister throughout his term.
Supporters of Deputy Prime Minister Dr.
In response to a question about these expectations, Rajanna said that political ambition within the party is normal.
“A person must be optimistic; one can live life if one is optimistic. What is the problem if one has optimism?” He said.
He also said that many senior Congress leaders are capable of leading the state.
“There are many people like Shivakumar, Karji, G Parameshwara, MP Patel, HK Patel – all of them are aspirants. We have more than a dozen people who can become chief minister. Since he (Shivakumar) is the party president, he has more ambition, there is nothing wrong,” Rajanna said.
Political observers said Siddaramaiah’s continued dominance reflects the strength of his support base in Karnataka despite frequent speculation about a leadership change.
Rajanna declined to speculate on whether Siddaramaiah would eventually be replaced, saying the final decision rests with the Congress leadership.
He said: “Our party is a national party, and it is the high leadership that ultimately takes the decisions. While taking any decision, they must take into consideration all aspects. I will not say that there will be a change of leader or there will not be. In the end, the high leadership has to decide, and it has to decide as soon as possible.”
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