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Amid escalating tensions within the Karnataka Congress over the Chief Minister's post, the party's high command is likely to take up the issue during the Congress Strategy Group meeting scheduled for the evening of November 30, ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, sources said.
CWC chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and party president Mallikarjun Kharge are expected to attend the meeting Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has consistently maintained that he will abide by whatever decision the party leadership takes, posted on X that he has invited Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar for lunch on Saturday. He added that he would travel to New Delhi if summoned by the high command. "There is no change in my stance. I have already informed that I will act as per what the party seniors have said. Even now and tomorrow, I will say the same. The party seniors have called me and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and instructed us to meet. Therefore, I have invited him for lunch, where we will discuss. D.K. Shivakumar has said that he will accept what the high command has said. If the high command calls me to New Delhi, I will go," the 'X' post stated. Speculations about a leadership change in Karnataka rose on November 20, when the Siddaramaiah-led government completed its half-term. Siddaramaiah, the current CM, insists he'll complete his five-year term, citing the mandate given by the people of Karnataka. He's emphasised his commitment to fulfilling the party's promises, including the five guarantee schemes. Shivakumar, on the other hand, is pushing for a leadership change, citing a "secret agreement" among senior leaders that he should take over as CM after 2.5 years. The high command, led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, is expected to make a decision soon. Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have expressed willingness to abide by the party's decision. The tussle, fueled by the "power-sharing agreement" of 2023 between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, has pushed each side's loyalists to lobby for their leaders' claims to the state's top post. (ANI)
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