Siddaramaiah says he will be Karnataka chief minister for full term

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that he will stay in office for the full five-year term amid speculation about a change of leadership in the state, PTI reported.

“Yes, I will be [chief minister for the full term],” the news agency quoted the Congress leader as telling reporters when asked about the possibility of him stepping down. “Why do you have the doubt?”

This came amid speculation that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar could replace Siddaramaiah as the chief minister.

On June 26, state minister KN Rajanna also claimed that a “major political development” in the state was anticipated after September.

However, Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is in charge of the Congress’ Karnataka unit, on Tuesday said that there would be no change in leadership. He had rejected speculation about a possible leadership change on Monday too, claiming that such talks were “only a figment of your imagination”.

On Tuesday, Shivakumar also reiterated that there would be no change of leadership.

“I don’t want anyone’s support,” the deputy chief minister had said. “My priority is for them [party legislators] to win back the Assembly elections.”

He added that there were no groups within the Congress and everyone was united.

Karnataka is expected to head for Assembly polls in 2028.

Earlier on Tuesday, Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain claimed that nearly 100 MLAs were in...

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