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'Never asked anyone to make me CM': DK Shivakumar amid 'power struggle' with Siddaramaiah; says 'no need for any discord'

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NEW DELHI: Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday asserted that he never asked anyone to make him chief minister, and added that there is no need for any discord on the leadership issue.

Also Read | No leadership change in Karnataka: Surjewala, Shivakumar

Shivakumar, who also heads the Karnataka Congress , was responding to a question about some party MLAs demanding that he should be made the CM, citing his "hard work" for the party.


"I have not asked anyone to take my name, to make me CM. There is no need for it. When the CM ( Siddaramaiah ) is there, there is no need for any discord," he told reporters in Bengaluru, according to news agency PTI.


"Everyone has worked hard. Hundreds of people like me have worked hard. Am I alone? Lakhs of party workers have worked hard. We have to think about them first," he added.

On the one-on-one meetings being held by Congress general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, the deputy CM stated, "He (Surjewala) is fixing accountability on matters related to the party and the organisation and how to prepare for elections from now itself."

Also Read | ‘Siddaramaiah won lottery’: In leaked audio, Congress MLA BR Patil claims he introduced CM to Sonia Gandhi

Surjewala, meanwhile, continued his one-on-one meetings with party MLAs for the third consecutive day. He was rushed to the southern state following recent comments by some Karnataka Congress leaders regarding a "leadership change" in the state later this year.

There have been talks within political circles for some time now about the chief minister change later this year, citing an alleged power-sharing agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. The Congress won Karnataka from the BJP in May 2023.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post following the declaration of the assembly election results, and the grand old party had managed to convince the latter to accept the deputy CM post instead.

There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will be elevated after two-and-half years, but this have not been officially confirmed by the party.
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