Karnataka: Ministers at CM's breakfast meet amid leadership change buzz

Amid speculation of a leadership change, several Karnataka Ministers, including Priyank Kharge and MB Patil, attended a breakfast meeting at CM Siddaramaiah's residence. Deputy CM DK Shivakumar was also present, fuelling talks of his elevation.

Several Karnataka Ministers arrived at the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's official residence 'Kaveri' in Bengaluru on Thursday for a "breakfast meeting" with Congress leaders amid speculation regarding a potential leadership change in the state.

Karnataka Ministers Priyank Kharge, KJ George, MB Patil, Ramalinga Reddy, HK Patil among others, arrived at the CM's residence amid tight security. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is also set to arrive shortly for the meeting.

The meeting comes as conversations over a potential leadership transition have resurfaced intermittently over the past several months, despite repeated assertions from the party leadership dismissing such reports.

Speculation over leadership change

Speculation around leadership change in the Karnataka Congress has been brewing since the government completed its two-and-a-half years of tenure last year. The Congress government in the state has now completed three years.

There has been constant speculation over the elevation of DK Shivakumar since the Congress government in Karnataka completed half its term, and another round of talks is expected before a final decision, party sources said.

High command meeting and official stance

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were in the national capital on Tuesday and took part in a meeting with Congress's central leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress leadership is learnt to be settling in favour of change and has apparently conveyed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to pave the way for it, according to sources.

Officially, the party said that the meeting discussed upcoming Rajya Sabha polls and Council elections and termed as "speculation" reports about a possible leadership change in the state. Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal told mediapersons that party candidates for the Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka will be announced along with candidates from other states.

Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that discussions with the Congress high command will be addressed tomorrow, amid continuing speculation surrounding a possible leadership change in the Karnataka Congress. (ANI)

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