Amid leadership row with CM Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar meets Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

Bengaluru, July 9 (IANS) Amid the ongoing leadership tussle within the Congress government in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the State Congress President, met party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at her residence in Delhi on Wednesday.

The development has sparked fresh debate over the leadership issue in the state and reignited discussions on the power-sharing formula between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

Sources said that Shivakumar spoke with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for about 30 minutes.

However, he declined to disclose any details, merely saying that he had visited Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's residence.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is also in Delhi and has sought an appointment with Rahul Gandhi for a private meeting.

Speaking to the media, Siddaramaiah confirmed this and said he would meet Rahul Gandhi if granted an appointment.

Sources also confirmed that the Congress high command has scheduled a likely meeting for Wednesday evening to discuss political and other developments in Karnataka.

Lok Sabha's Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and other senior party leaders are expected to attend this meeting.

Both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar will be present at the meeting, which is expected to address the ongoing leadership issue.

The Congress high command is said to be taking the matter seriously, as any rift between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar could have direct repercussions on the stability of the government in Karnataka.

While Siddaramaiah has asserted that he will remain in office for the rest of the term, Shivakumar has largely restrained himself from making any direct statements.

However, Sivakumar's loyalists have been vocal in demanding the Chief Minister's post for him.

The recent visit of AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, to Karnataka and his one-on-one meetings with party MLAs have been perceived as an exercise to gauge opinions regarding the Chief Minister's post.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and senior BJP leader, R. Ashoka, criticised the Congress that Siddaramaiah had already taken the "boarding pass" to exit the Chief Minister's post.

"There is no doubt about his (Siddaramaiah's) exit. It's already decided. I'm not guessing," Ashoka claimed.

Despite these tensions, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar made a public show of unity by travelling together in the same car to meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi.

However, sources suggest that all is not well between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

--IANS

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