Shivakumar will be made CM when...: Siddaramaiah puts ball in Congress top brass court

New Delhi: Days after ruling out any differences between them and putting out a united face, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy Shivakumar met for breakfast on Tuesday. This is the second time in four days that the two leaders are meeting over breakfast, in an apparent attempt to iron out their differences amid the ongoing power tussle.

Sharing pictures of their meeting on the social media platform 'X, Shivakumar wrote, "Hosted the Hon’ble CM for breakfast at my residence today as we reaffirm our commitment to good governance and the continued development of our state under the Congress vision."

Interacting with the media after the breakfast meeting, Siddaramaiah said that Shivakumar will become CM when the Congress high command decides. Asserting that there are no differences between him and his deputy, the Karnataka Chief Minister said that they both are running the government unitedly, and will continue to do so in the future too.

Last time, Siddaramaih had invited Shivakumar for a breakfast meet at his residence on November 29. This time, the deputy CM will be hosting the CM for breakfast. "I have invited the Hon’ble CM for breakfast tomorrow to discuss and strengthen our collective efforts to deliver on our promises to Karnataka," Shivakumar wrote on X ahead of the meeting.

Following the Saturday meeting, the two leaders held a joint press conference and sought to shun reports about the leadership tussle in the Karnataka unit of Congress. The duo said there were no factions in the state unit and that they would follow whatever the high command orders.

Karnataka leadership crisis

Siddaramaih and Shivakumar have been locked in a silent tussle over the chief ministerial post. Following the Congress' win in the 2023 state polls, Siddaramaiah was made the CM, and some reports claimed that Shivakumar would take over the post after 2.5 years. The Karnataka government under Siddaramaiah completed half of its five-year term on November 20. Since then, the Shivakumar faction has been pitching for his elevation as CM, citing the reported "rotational chief minister" deal. However, Siddaramaiah supporters rejected any such deal and said he should retain the post for the full five-year term.

What happened during last breakfast meet

During the last meeting, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar discussed the strategy for the 2028 Assembly polls. The duo said that empowering Congress is their duty and that they would abide by the high command's order.

Addressing the press comference, Siddaramaiah had said, "I had a breakfast meeting with deputy CM Shivakumar because some unwanted confusion has been created recently. We don't have differences."

Commenting on the leadership tussle, the Chief Minister said, "We have decided to go by directions and instructions of the Congress high command. No one is against the party's top leadership."

Shivakumar had also clarified that there were no factions in the party's state unit and that they will abide by the party high command. "As far as the leadership issue is concerned, it is for the party high command to decide. Whatever they say, we will follow. We are loyal soldiers of the party," he added.