Meanwhile, terming Chief Minister’s word as final, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that he would go by what the chief minister says.
Published Oct 28, 2025 | 2:50 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 28, 2025 | 2:50 PM
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah
Synopsis: Siddaramaiah said, “In a democracy, everyone has the right to aspire for the Chief Minister’s position. However, the final decision on this matter rests with the high command. Even whether I continue as Chief Minister will ultimately be the high command’s decision.”
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, 28 October, said that he would continue to retain the chief minister post if the high command decides so.
In response to a query about several ministers making statements over the change of guard, Siddaramaiah told reporters at the Mangaluru International Airport, “In a democracy, everyone has the right to aspire for the Chief Minister’s position. However, the final decision on this matter rests with the high command. Even whether I continue as Chief Minister will ultimately be the high command’s decision.”
Meanwhile, terming Chief Minister’s word as final, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that he would go by what the chief minister says.
Responding to reporters question about Siddaramaiah’s statement, at Kempe Gowda International airport, he said, “What is left to be said after the chief minister’s statement. We follow his word.”
Earlier this month, Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra claimed that his father was in his “final stages of his political career.”
“He (Siddaramaiah) is at the fag end of his political life. At such a time, a leader is needed to guide and lead those who have progressive thinking, ideologically,” Yathindra said, while speaking at a rally in Chikkodi.
He then said that Satish Jarikholi is a leader with similar progressive ideological thinking and that he should lead by example.
However, while speaking to reporters later, Yathindra said that he did not talk about replacement of the Chief Minister. “I didn’t talk about the replacement of CM. Father has told that 2028 will be his last elections. He won’t contest elections for 2028. Since he believes in secular, progressive ideology and social justice, I just said that someone who believes in same ideology should lead Congress party,” he said. He further said that there is no talk about change in the CM.
Following the May Assembly elections in 2023, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar were in a fierce competition for the chief minister’s post. Eventually, Congress persuaded Shivakumar to accept the role of deputy chief minister.
There were reports suggesting a compromise had been reached, involving a “rotational chief minister formula,” with Shivakumar set to assume the top post after two-and-a-half years. However, these reports have not been officially confirmed by the party.
Since then, there have been numerous instances, when either of the leaders, and other Congress MLAs have referred to the issue.
In March, MLA Basavaraju Shivaganga claimed that DK Shivakumar would assume the Chief Minister’s position by the end of the year.
However, DK Shivakumar then clarified that he would adhere to the directions of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, refraining from discussing power-sharing issues in the state.
In 2024, ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Siddaramaiah, asked the people of his Varuna Assembly segment to give the Congress candidate a lead of at least 60,000 votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, to ensure that he remains in the post.
At the same time, in Mandya, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president DK Shivakumar, who has made no secret about his chief ministerial ambitions, told the people that the desire with which they supported the party in the Assembly poll in May last year, keeping him in mind, “will not turn out to be false.”
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Anisha Reddy)
