Now, Siddaramaiah to visit Shivakumar’s home for breakfast amid Congress unity push: Report

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is expected to visit Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, in what officials see as a calibrated effort by the Congress leadership to project unity amid persistent speculation over a leadership change in the state.

The meeting, a breakfast engagement, mirrors Shivakumar’s visit to the Chief Minister’s home on Saturday. The interactions are being following instructions from the party high command, which had stepped in after weeks of unease within the state unit.

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After their earlier meeting, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had publicly maintained that “there won’t be any confusion”, adding that they were committed to following the high command’s decisions on all leadership matters.

Also Read: ‘No rift’: Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar signal unity as leadership talk roils Karnataka Congress

The latest outreach is being viewed as the central leadership’s attempt to calm the power tussle between the two camps and to reinforce Siddaramaiah’s continuation as Chief Minister, at least for now, especially with the legislature session scheduled to begin on December 8.

Talk of a potential change in leadership had grown louder after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, a milestone that revived conversations around an alleged 2023 “power-sharing” understanding between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

The party has not acknowledged any such arrangement.

Also Read: Unity for the cameras, uncertainty behind the scenes: The story of Karnataka’s leadership churn