Karnataka leadership: Kharge holds meeting with Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar

AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge has held discussions with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar amid fresh speculation over the leadership issue, party sources said.

According to sources, Kharge travelled from Thiruvananthapuram to Bengaluru along with Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and senior leaders, and they later held discussions at the residence of state Energy Minister K J George on Monday.

Reports emerged time and again about a power tussle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

The power-sharing issue intensified after the Congress government completed its halfway mark in November last year.

Sources in the Congress said the informal meeting took place at the residence of George shortly after the leaders returned from Kerala, where they had attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new Congress government.

According to sources, discussions during the gathering revolved around recent political developments in the state and the continuing speculation surrounding the chief ministerial post.

They also added that some leaders in the party were pushing for clarity from the high command regarding the leadership issue.

Madhugiri Congress MLA K N Rajanna indicated that an informal meeting on the leadership issue would have taken place.

''Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were there in Kerala. Why would discussions not have taken place there itself,'' Rajanna asked while speaking to reporters.

According to party insiders, Rahul Gandhi had earlier sought feedback from senior leaders, including George, regarding internal political equations in the state.

Congress sources also indicated that several leaders are now waiting for party general secretary K C Venugopal to return from a short break, amid indications that further consultations could take place in Delhi in the coming days.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)