Shivakumar neither in hurry nor under pressure for CM post, says his brother Suresh

Bengaluru: Former Lok Sabha member D K Suresh on Saturday clarified that his brother and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is neither in a hurry nor under pressure regarding the CM post.

He made the remarks against the backdrop of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s recent assertion that he would complete his full five-year tenure.

“D K Shivakumar is neither in a hurry (to become CM) nor under any pressure,” Suresh told reporters here.

Earlier, it had been speculated that Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state president and considered a key contender for the top post in the state, would take over the chief minister’s role midway in the present regime.

Responding to queries, Suresh said, “There is no conflict in the Congress party. The high command, the chief minister and Shivakumar have already clarified the matter. Siddaramaiah has said he will continue in leadership. Yet we don’t know why there is confusion in the media.” He added that Shivakumar is sincerely carrying out the responsibilities given to him and working in accordance with the party’s direction.

“At present, the chief minister’s post is not vacant. We don’t know why this issue is being discussed repeatedly,” Suresh said.

He added that Shivakumar is a loyal party worker who respects the Congress high command.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister’s post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy CM.

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 become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.