Image source: indian.com
Despite having been in the capital for a few days, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah had never met until they had breakfast together on Thursday at Venugopal’s house.
On Thursday, DK Shivakumar agreed to the terms that Siddaramaiah would serve as chief minister and DK Shivakumar as his sole deputy, ending the deadlock in Karnataka over the CM contest between the two candidates. Rounds of negotiations led to the accord, but DK Shivakumar claimed on Thursday that Rahul Gandhi ultimately contacted him and urged cooperation. “Everything is fine, everything will work out fine, everything is fine. We decided in a single sentence to follow the high command’s directives. Finally, Rahul Gandhi called and told me that we all needed to cooperate, Shivakumar stated.ย
DK Shivakumar stated on Thursday, “Rahulji called me and said you all have to work together.” (PTI)
“Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress, called and issued this directive. Whatever the formula is produced, we have all agreed to use it, said Shivakumar.
Secret power-sharing arrangements and the 2024 elections enabled Congress to end the Karnataka deadlock.
To promote their campaign for CM, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar arrived in Delhi on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. On Tuesday, they each had separate meetings with Mallikarjun Kharge while Rahul Gandhi discussed the matter with Kharje, KC Venugopal, and Randeep Singh Surjewala. Siddarmaiah and DK Shivakumar met Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday. Since Sonia Gandhi appointed him head of the state party unit, DK Shivakumar sought her view on the topic. Sonia Gandhi, who is on vacation in Shimla, was in conversation with DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah. They were directed to communicate with Rahul and Kharge by Sonia Gandhi.
Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar met for breakfast at KC Venugopal’s house on Thursday, despite the fact that their decision to have Shivakumar serve as the chief minister and Siddaramaiah as their sole deputy and party leader was taken during a late-night meeting on Wednesday. They then drove to Kharge’s house in the same vehicle, with Venugopal and Surjewala joining them. DK Shivakumar reportedly believed that he still had time to become a chief minister in the future because of his advanced age. Before the election, Siddaramaiah, 75, declared it to be his final election.
In recent days, the power struggle pitted the BJP against the Congress, with the BJP challenging the party’s internal strife. In response, the Congress questioned whether the BJP had located a leader of the opposition in Karnataka. Supriya Shrinate stated, “We are glad to be spoilt for choice; BJP should instead reflect on why the 6.5 crore Kannadigas have shamefully rejected them and PM Modi.