Karnataka Power Struggle: Siddaramaiah vs D K Shivakumar in Battle for Leadership

Bengaluru:At a time where the Congress High Command is busy with elections to five states in the country, the power struggle between the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar has gained wings again, with supporters of both the camps have engaged in a pitched battle. While Siddaramaiah himself has taken up to X-handle social media to send across messages to his detractors, his supporters have floated the `Dalit Chief Minister' demand to keep D K Shivakumar at bay. The issue gained momentum on Saturday after PWD Minister Sathish Jarkiholi, a close aide of Siddaramaiah returned from Delhi and said that the party high command would be resolving the leadership issue soon. Siddaramaiah immediately took to his X-handle and sent across a series of messages saying that he was being targeted by 'vested interests' as he belonged to a backward community. He went on to say that he will fight till the end and would not budge to any pressures by the vested interests. Let us know! 👂What type of content would you like to see from us this year? Reacting sharply to Siddaramaiah's statement, IT&BT Minister Priyank Kharge said that Siddaramaiah was never targeted and he had received all the honors he deserved as a backward class leader. ``If anyone had targeted him for caste reason, how would he have broken the record of Devaraj Urs as longest served Chief Minister of Karnataka? How would he have presented the highest number of budgets for Karnataka? No one has targeted him on the caste line,'' he said. Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah staunch supporter and Social Welfare Minister Dr Mahadevappa said that Siddaramaiah should complete the term. If there are any moves to replace him, an eligible Dalit should be made as the Chief Minister. Also Watch: Dr Mahadevappa, along with Dr G Parameshwar is a strong contender to become the first Dalit Chief Minister of Karnataka. The two have roped in various dalit organisations to voice support in their favour. In another interesting development, 31 first time MLAs have written a letter to the party high command, seeking to resolve the leadership issue immediately. The MLAs, mainly supporters of D K Shivakumar have said that the developmental works in the state had come to a standstill due to confusion in the leadership issue. The MLAs have also sought immediate reshuffle of the cabinet, as the incumbent cabinet ministers in Siddaramaiah government were ineffective. Besides, the MLAs have sought to induct at least five first time MLAs into the cabinet.