No Talk Of Change Of Chief Minister By High Command: Siddaramaiah's Son

Amid mounting speculation over a potential leadership change in Karnataka, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, son of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has strongly dismissed the rumours, asserting that his father has the full backing of both the party high command and legislators.

He, a Member of the Legislative Council, underlined that his father will complete his five-year term as Chief Minister.

Junior Siddaramaiah's statement comes amid repeated comments from Congress MLAs and ministers hinting at a political churn towards the end of the year.

Minister KN Rajanna's recent statement has fuelled most of the speculation.

"Between 2013 and 2018, there was just one power centre. Now there are one, two, three, several power centres. When power centres increase, the issues also increase. Most people have an opinion that they are not seeing the Siddaramaiah of 2013. Let September pass, then we will talk about all this," said Mr Rajanna.

Adding to the speculation, Congress MLA Pradeep Eshwar, speaking during a Kempegowda Jayanti event on Friday, offered glowing praise for DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah's Deputy, "As I end my speech, I want to remember DK Shivakumar, the leader whom I trust and dream of. I wish that his future is bright, and he takes one more step forward in his political career."

Yathindra Siddaramaiah's remarks are the most definitive rebuttal yet from the Siddaramaiah camp.

"Repeated statements are being made because there are certain factions that want to become CM, so they keep trying to spread rumours," he said.

"But from the time the government was formed, Siddaramaiah has had the support of the high command and will continue to do so. The legislators also support Siddaramaiah. Therefore, he will continue for five years. The high command has never said they will change the CM or given any hints in this regard," he added.

Asked about Mr Rajanna's comments, the Chief Minister's son said, "Only the minister can explain the context of his statement."

He noted that such rumours have been circulating since the formation of the government.

"From the beginning, there had been talk that Siddaramaiah would be removed within six months. Later, it was said he would be replaced after the MUDA case came to light - but nothing of the sort has happened," he said.

As Karnataka continues to witness a tug-of-war between factions backing Siddaramaiah and those supporting DK Shivakumar, the political spotlight now turns to September, the month increasingly being seen as a possible turning point.