BENGALURU: Cutouts of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar as the next Karnataka Chief Minister were displayed outside the Congress office in Bengaluru on Wednesday. This development comes amid ongoing tensions within the state's ruling party over leadership and the timing of local body elections.
DK Shivakumar had earlier refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim that the Chief Minister's chair was unstable in Karnataka. Speaking to reporters in Lingasagur, Raichur district, Shivakumar stated, "No chairs are wobbling in Karnataka. All chairs are stable. I don't know what the Prime Minister is seeing." He was responding to PM Modi's allegation that the CM's position was shaky in Karnataka, as well as in Kerala and Punjab.
The political drama intensified after Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy alleged a power struggle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM Shivakumar over the conduct of elections for five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). Kumaraswamy claimed that while Siddaramaiah wanted the polls to be held to secure his position for another six months, Shivakumar opposed them, fearing it could hinder his own chances of becoming CM. "There is an internal fight going on between the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister regarding the GBA elections. Siddaramaiah feels that if the GBA elections are held, his CM position will be secured for another six months, while DK Shivakumar believes he may not become the CM if the elections are held now," Kumaraswamy said.
The State Election Commissioner, GS Sangreshi, had earlier announced that elections to the five city corporations under the GBA would be held between June 14 and June 24. However, the SEC later filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking an extension until September 30, citing the National Census-2024 and Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The Supreme Court had previously directed the Karnataka government and the State Election Commission to conduct the Bengaluru local body elections by June 30.
The appearance of Shivakumar's cutouts as CM underscores the ongoing leadership tussle within the Karnataka Congress, with both factions maneuvering for control ahead of the crucial local body polls.
