'Neither Moily nor anyone else said...': Priyank Kharge dismisses speculation on DK Shivakumar as CM 

Amid growing speculation over a leadership change in Karnataka, state minister Priyank Kharge has dismissed suggestions that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is set to take over as Chief Minister. Responding to former Karnataka CM M Veerappa Moily’s remarks backing Shivakumar, Kharge said, “Neither Moily nor anyone else said that DK Shivakumar is going to be the CM today or tomorrow. They said that one day, he would be rewarded for his hard work. High command will decide it.”

Clarifying the party’s position, he added, “If I say so in front of the media, will it happen? Our responsibilities are very clear—Siddaramaiah is the CM, DK Shivakumar is the Dy CM...I might want somebody to become CM one day, if they work hard, they will be rewarded tomorrow. Whatever he said, it is his opinion.”

Kharge’s statement comes after Moily, while addressing a public event in Udupi, threw his weight behind Shivakumar, recalling how he had helped him secure his first Assembly ticket. “I am the one who secured the MLA ticket for DK Shivakumar for the first time. Today, he has become a successful leader in Karnataka. We all wish for him to become the Chief Minister soon,” Moily said.

Moily insisted that Shivakumar’s rise to the top was inevitable. “Nobody can stop him from becoming Chief Minister. The course of history has already been written. Either today or tomorrow, it will happen—it’s just a matter of time.” 

Congress MLA Basavaraju Shivaganga went a step further, claiming that Shivakumar would take charge in December 2025. “There is no deadline as such. Write it down and keep it. If you want, I will write it in blood and give it to you. He will become Chief Minister in December. He will take charge in December,” he declared while speaking to reporters in Davangere.

Amid the political chatter, DK Shivakumar himself distanced the Congress from any speculation. “I have not put any condition on anyone, and there is no need to put any condition. I'm a Karyakarta, I work according to what the party tells me. Putting conditions or blackmailing is not in my blood. I'm a loyal Congress worker,” he stated.

He also dismissed questions about a 2.5-year power-sharing agreement, a rumored deal from 2023 when he was appointed Deputy CM following stiff competition with Siddaramaiah for the top post. When asked about the speculation, he simply said, “I can only say in 2028. The Congress party will come back to power.”